Former President Donald Trump absolutely killed at the Al Smith dinner with a comedy set straight out of the Borscht Belt heyday. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’ virtual appearance inadvertently revealed how the Democratic Party feels not only about Christians, but all the American people.
The Al Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner is one of the rare occasions leaders in both parties put partisanship aside. Each year, they come together to roast each other for a good cause, Catholic charities. While Trump committed a minor faux pas wearing black tie (rather than the more traditional and formal white), Harris put an end to the tradition entirely by not showing up. She’s the first presidential candidate to skip the dinner since Walter Mondale in 1984, and we all know how that turned out.
Instead, she did what high profile Democrats always do: phone it in with the help of celebrities. Harris submitted a pre-recorded skit with comedian Molly Shannon, who appeared as the recurring Catholic school character from her SNL days, Mary Katherine Gallagher. Resurrecting the character was a transparent attempt at relatability through some 1990s nostalgia-bait. Add in the Taylor Swift references, and it was clear which demo the bit tried appealing to. It wasn’t exactly comedy, but the deadly sin of pride masquerading as such. Shannon spent the sketch gushing over how we need a “smart” and “compassionate” woman like Harris “to represent us,” while framing “that Trump guy” as a bully for daring to point out her flaws. Unsurprisingly, you don’t hear many laughs from the audience (even though half the room was likely voting for her).
Trump, meanwhile, brought the house down. Unlike Harris, who made a quasi-appearance at the last minute after the backlash became clear, Trump treated the dinner the way it’s supposed to: taking up an honorary spot on the dais and schmoozing with friends and enemies alike. (RELATED: Comedian Jim Gaffigan Roasts Kamala For Skipping Al Smith Dinner)
He came out guns blazing, hilariously skewering his opponents, some of whom were in the room with him. He roasted Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, directly to his left, for holding out hopes of transitioning genders and becoming the “first woman president” after Harris loses. “It’s really a pleasure [to show up] anywhere in New York without a subpoena for my appearance,” he said, trolling New York Attorney General Letitia James in the audience with a humorous air of self-deprecation.
He treated the ongoing lawfare, assassination attempts and media hits against him with playful cynicism, a sign of the good-natured unity the night is supposed to represent. Riffing off the crowd’s raucous energy, it really could have been a Rodney Dangerfield set from the heyday of the Borscht Belt.
Corrupt NY Attorney General Letitia James is shaking in RAGE as she sits behind President Trump at the Al Smith Dinner 🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/8QGefA74jD
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 18, 2024
So Trump put ill will aside for a night to raise a glass with his foes, while Harris snubbed Catholic charities as nothing more than a self-serving after thought. It’s not only that she snubbed the Church, but all Americans who want to see polarization respectfully put aside from time to time. As the event always takes place at the height of the campaign season when tensions are highest, it reminds us that at the end of the day, we can all come together as Americans and have a good time; not everything has to be so serious and political. Yet Harris did not find it necessary to respect this tradition, instead choosing to remain holed up in her own holier-than-thou echo chamber behind the safety of a digital screen.
Yet there is a specific dig at the Church that cannot go unmentioned. It’s ironic how so many Catholic charities bend over backwards to accommodate liberalism — especially at the border — at the expense of church doctrine, only to be blown off by the figurehead of far-left radicalism they attempt to appease. There’s a lesson here: No amount of accommodation will ever make Christianity acceptable to leftists, but only helps to dig its own grave.
Christians should remember this when they enter the voting booth in November.
