What is the Al Smith dinner for? Trump speaks at the latest annual gathering attended by Eric Adams, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and more
Donald Trump attended the Al Smith dinner on October 17, 2024. He was accompanied by his wife Melania at the annual gathering. Although Kamala Harris was absent for being busy in Wisconsin for campaigning, she appeared in a recorded video.
Notably, the Al Smith dinner is organized every year to collect funds for Catholic charities working to support underprivileged kids within the Archdiocese of New York. It is attended by many Democratic and Republican leaders and is held in October.
The event is held in honor of well-known politician Al Smith, also known as Alfred Emanuel Smith. He served as a Governor of New York four times and later started working on the development of the Empire State Building. He passed away in October 1944 at the age of 70.
The dinner was first held back in 1946 and Trump has frequently participated in the same for around eight years. During the recent gathering, he was spotted wishing good luck to Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York City. He further stated:
“They went after you, Mayor. Oh boy, I knew that. Nine and a half months ago, I said, ‘You know, he just said something bad about the administration. He’s gonna be indicted any moment.”
Adams has been in the headlines ever since he was charged with wire fraud, bribery, conspiracy, and receiving campaign contributions from a foreign national last month. While Eric has not been convicted so far, he pleaded not guilty to the charges at the court on September 28, 2024.
Al Smith’s dinner was attended by popular faces from the world of politics and other fields
The latest gathering that happened on Thursday witnessed the presence of renowned personalities. While Donald Trump’s appearance and speech grabbed a lot of attention on social media, New York Attorney General Letitia James was also present, a rival of the former President of the United States.
Eric Adams attended the Al Smith dinner alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Cheryl Hines. Comedian Jim Gaffigan was also one of the guests. For the uninitiated, he is mostly known for expressing criticism towards Trump on a few occasions.
Apart from the above-mentioned names, Kathy Hochul, Chuck Schumer, Bill De Blasio, Michael Bloomberg, Mike Johnson, and more were in attendance.
As mentioned, Kamala Harris skipped the Al Smith dinner. However, a video featuring Molly Shannon was displayed, where the latter was seen appearing as Mary Katherine Gallagher, a character that became popular on Saturday Night Live a long time ago. Harris questioned Shannon in the video clip:
“So tell me something, I’m giving a speech. Do you have some thoughts about what I might say tonight?”
Shannon told Harris not to lie and Harris replied:
“Indeed, especially thy neighbor’s election results.”
The news of Harris not attending the Al Smith dinner was confirmed by Joseph Zwilling, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese. While speaking to The New York Post on September 21, 2024, he said that he expected Harris to reconsider her decision and added:
“We are disappointed that she will not be with us, as this evening of unity and putting aside political differences in support of a good cause of helping women and children in need regardless of race, creed, or background.”
Donald Trump speaks on Kamala Harris at the Al Smith dinner
While Kamala Harris could not attend the Al Smith dinner, Donald Trump was spotted addressing the same as he gave a speech at the event. He jokingly said that he was shocked to hear the news at first. Adding that everyone likes to listen to her laugh, he said:
“If you really wanted Vice President Harris to accept your invitation, I guess you should have told her the funds were going to bail out the looters and rioters in Minneapolis, and she would have been here, guaranteed. She would have been guaranteed.”
On the other hand, social media platforms were flooded with reactions from critics to Kamala’s pre-recorded speech, with most of them using the word “cringeworthy” to describe it. However, Harris has not responded to the reactions until now.