Former President Trump mentioned Friday he was “surprised” that Vice President Kamala Harris skipped the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Basis Dinner, calling it a “terrible” resolution by the Democratic nominee.
“I thought it was great, you know, it was for the Catholic Church… a lot of good people, a lot of good causes and unusually she didn’t show up. You would have thought she would have showed up last night,” Trump mentioned throughout an in-studio look on “FOX & Friends.”
“We were all surprised,” Trump added.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raises his fist as he and his spouse Melania Trump attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Basis Dinner on the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Getty Photographs)
The Al Smith dinner was launched in 1946 and has raised tens of millions of {dollars} for charities supporting girls and kids. It has since grown to turn out to be a political and cultural hallmark of election seasons, however Harris shocked many by skipping the bipartisan political occasion that sometimes provides a little bit of levity to the marketing campaign path every presidential election cycle.
“I think it was terrible that she missed it because… only one person missed it in many years and that’s Walter Mondale and he lost 49-1,” Trump mentioned.
“FOX & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade requested Trump why he believes Harris skipped the occasion that’s traditionally attended by candidates from each events.
“I think that she’s not competent. I don’t want to say this kind of stuff, but we can’t live with this,” Trump mentioned.
“I don’t think she’s funny,” he added. “We can’t have her as a president, she’s a Marxist. We’re not ready for a Marxist.”
MONTAGE: TRUMP CRACKS JOKES AT THE AL SMITH DINNER IN NEW YORK CITY
Former President Trump mentioned Friday he was “surprised” that Vice President Kamala Harris skipped the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Basis Dinner. (Getty Photographs)
Trump additionally mocked Harris’ resolution when he spoke on the occasion.
“I must say I was shocked when I heard that Kamala was skipping the Al Smith dinner. I’d really hoped that you would come, because we can’t get enough of hearing her beautiful laugh. She laughs like crazy,” Trump joked.
“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,” Trump additionally quipped, citing Harris’ promotion of a bail fund in the course of the riots of 2020.
The dinner is known as after the primary Catholic presidential candidate, Al Smith, who served because the forty second governor of New York. He ran for president as a Democrat in 1928. Harris’ snub of the historic Catholic charity occasion irked New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the host of the dinner, on his podcast earlier this week.
COMEDIAN JIM GAFFIGAN TAKES SURPRISING SHOTS AT HARRIS FOR SKIPPING ‘CATHOLIC MET GALA’
“This year will be imbalanced because sadly, Kamala Harris isn’t coming,” Dolan mentioned on his podcast Tuesday. “It’s a shame because the nature of the evening is to bring people together. The nature of the evening is civility, patriotism, humor. It’s not a campaign speech. It’s not a campaign stop.”
Different attendees of the occasion embrace, Lawyer Normal Letitia James – an outspoken critic of Trump who slammed him as a “con man” whereas campaigning for the AG job in 2018 – former New York Metropolis Mayor Invoice de Blasio, Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and others.
Fox Information Digital reached out to the Harris marketing campaign for touch upon sending a pre-recorded video message for the occasion, however didn’t obtain a reply. The marketing campaign beforehand instructed Fox Information that Harris was skipping the occasion to give attention to campaigning within the battleground state of Wisconsin on Thursday.
