GOP nominee Donald Trump delivered a sharp and comedic performance at the annual Al Smith dinner in New York City on Thursday, taking several jabs at Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff, and other Democrats. The Catholic charity event, known for its lighthearted roasts, saw Trump capitalize on Harris’ decision to skip the dinner, sending in a pre-recorded video instead, which was met with boos from the audience.
Trump’s speech, lasting nearly half an hour, was filled with humor and digs aimed at both local and national political figures. He kicked off by joking about his frequent legal battles in New York, remarking, “It’s nice to be in New York without needing a subpoena.” Trump then took aim at NYC Mayor Eric Adams, currently under investigation by the Biden-Harris DOJ, drawing laughs from the crowd.
The former president quickly turned his attention to Kamala Harris, roasting her absence at the event. “It’s been a long tradition for both Democrat and Republican candidates for President of the United States to attend this dinner. Always—it’s a rule. You’ve got to go to the dinner. You’ve got to do it. Otherwise, bad things are going to happen to you from up there,” Trump said, gesturing towards the heavens.
He continued, “But my opponent feels like she does not have to be here, which is deeply disrespectful to the event and, in particular, to our great Catholic community. Very disrespectful.”
The crowd was already riled up when the vice chair of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, Mary Callahan Erdoes, announced that Harris would not be attending in person. Her decision to appear via a pre-recorded video sparked boos, but cheers erupted when Trump’s in-person attendance was confirmed.
Harris’ video, featuring SNL alum Molly Shannon, fell flat with the crowd. Shannon made several jokes about it being “time for a woman” president and threw in some Taylor Swift references, but the audience was unimpressed.
Trump didn’t stop there. He drew more laughs by referencing Walter Mondale, the last Democrat to skip the dinner, saying, “It did not go very well for him. He lost 49 states, and he won one, Minnesota. So, I said, there’s no way I’m missing it.”
One of the sharpest lines of the night came when Trump poked fun at Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz. Referring to a viral video of Walz awkwardly fumbling with a shotgun, Trump joked, “I understand the real reason she’s not here is she’s hunting with her running mate. Spending a lot of time hunting.” The crowd laughed as Trump roasted Walz again for embellishing stories about his military service and other tall tales from his career.
But Trump’s most biting jab was reserved for Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff. Referring to Emhoff’s past, Trump quipped, “A major issue in this race is childcare, and Kamala has put forward a concept of a plan. A lot of people don’t like it. The only piece of advice I would have for her in the event that she wins would be not to let her husband Doug anywhere near the nannies.”
As expected at the Al Smith dinner, Trump took the opportunity to poke fun at himself—though in his typical style, he kept it brief. “Tradition holds that I’m supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes this evening. So here it goes. Nope. I’ve got nothing. I’ve got nothing. There’s nothing to say,” he said, drawing laughter from the room. “I guess I just don’t see the point of taking shots at myself when other people have been shooting at me for a hell of a long time.”
In a final blow of the night, Trump took a swing at Senator Chuck Schumer, who he said looked “very glum.” But Trump lightened the mood with a sarcastic, yet biting, remark: “Look on the bright side, Chuck. Considering how woke your party has become, if Kamala loses, you still have a chance to become the first woman president!” The joke landed well, sending the room into laughter and applause.
