An over 6-decade-old presidential election tradition left participants of a memorial dinner in splits in New York City; however, only one candidate was there to grill the other on dias for the first time in 40 years.
Former President Donald Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania Trump, spoke at the New York Archdiocese’s annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, since Kamala participated in the event through a pre-recorded video clip, she was unable to defend herself against Trump’s jibes.
“She is going to be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximise her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election,” a campaign official told ABC News on September 23.
Trump took turns making jokes about Harris, as her absence gave him a complete chance to become a star of the show as well as the country.
In the pre-recorded video, Harris was joined by comedian Molly Shannon, playing the Catholic schoolgirl character, Mary Katherine Gallagher, she made famous on “Saturday Night Live,” who tells the Democratic presidential candidate that this is one of the biggest dinners since the Last Supper.
Harris asked Gallagher: “Is there anything that you think that maybe I shouldn’t bring up tonight?”
“Um, well, don’t lie,” Mary Katherine replied.
Trump even ribbed Harris before the event in a Truth Social post for not showing up. “They didn’t give me the option of a video message, nor would I have done it. This is very disrespectful to everyone involved,” Trump said that Harris could lose the Catholic vote over this.
After Harris’s video, Trump struck again saying: “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. Otherwise, bad things are going to happen to you from up there.”
“You can’t do what I just saw on that screen. 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 last time, was in 1948 when a presidential candidate could not attend the dinner.
“It’s sad, but not surprising, that Kamala has decided not to attend,” Trump said in the post.
Trump charged Harris with being anti-Catholic and repeated old claims, with zero evidence, that the Catholics were oppressed by the administration.
