Cardinal Timothy Dolan has slammed Kamala Harris’ surprise decision to skip the annual Al Smith dinner, while also warning the previous nominee who didn’t attend.
The dinner benefiting Catholic Charities is traditionally used to promote fellowship and good humor. Presidential candidates from both parties appear on the same night and trade venomous remarks.
Donald Trump attended the dinner in 2016 and 2020, while Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden also attended – albeit online – when they ran for president.
Dolan, the archbishop of New York City, said he was “disappointed” in Harris’ decision to instead campaign in a state where the election was uncertain with less than three weeks to go before Election Day.
“We were looking forward to giving the vice president an enthusiastic welcome and we were confident that she would appreciate it. You know, she talks very much about high ideals and how good it is to step away from divisions and come together in unity and all that,” he said.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan has slammed Kamala Harris’ surprise decision to skip the annual Al Smith dinner, while also warning the previous nominee who didn’t attend.
Dolan, the archbishop of New York City, said he was “disappointed” in Harris’ decision to instead campaign in a swing state less than three weeks before Election Day.
He then made a disturbing historical comment about the last time a Democrat said no to them.
“We’re not used to this. We don’t know how to handle this. This hasn’t happened in 40 years, since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 of the 50 states. I don’t want to say there’s a direct correlation, but … we’re not giving up,” Dolan said.
The cardinal, who plays a key role in the dinner, has been highly critical of Democrats. In 2018, he wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal headlined, “Democrats are abandoning Catholics.”
Harris’ team wants them to spend as much time as possible in the battlefield states will decide the election, not overwhelmingly Democratic New York, a campaign official said Saturday, speaking anonymously to discuss campaign plans and confirming a decision first reported by CNN.
Her team told organizers she would be willing to attend as chair if elected, the official said.
The former president and current Republican presidential candidate confirmed in a post on Truth Social on Monday that he would speak at the Oct. 17 dinner, calling it “sad, but not surprising” that Harris chose not to attend.
In his message on Truth Social, Trump said Harris has “certainly not been nice” to Catholics. He said Catholic voters who support her “need to get their heads checked.”
His presence at the 2016 dinner was met with booing, with many in the audience feeling he had crossed a line by calling Democrat Hillary Clinton corrupt and claiming she hated Catholics.
Trump’s appearance at the dinner in 2016 drew boos, as many in the audience felt he had crossed a line when he called Democrat Hillary Clinton corrupt and claimed she hated Catholics.
Dolan, who plays a prominent role at the dinner, has been highly critical of Democrats, writing an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in 2018 headlined, “Democrats Abandon Catholics”
The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner is named for the former governor of New York, a Democrat and the first Roman Catholic to be nominated for president by a major party in 1928. He was easily defeated by Herbert Hoover.
It raises millions of dollars for Catholic charities and shows that those vying for leadership of the country can get by for one night, or pretend to.
The event has become a tradition for presidential candidates since Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy appeared together in 1960.
In 1996, the Archdiocese of New York decided not to invite then-President Bill Clinton and his Republican challenger Bob Dole. Clinton reportedly vetoed a ban on late-term abortions.
Trump And Joe Bidenwho is Catholic, both spoke at the 2020 fundraiser, which was then moved online due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 through large gatherings.
Amid the pandemic and economic woes, there were no jokes and both candidates used their speeches to appeal to Catholic voters.
In 2016, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump embraced the cheerful atmosphere at the annual white-tie fundraiser in New York, even if some of their jokes fell flat.
The two, some reserved and others enthusiastic, both provided hilarity with their scripts full of puns.
Walter Mondale was the last major candidate to skip the dinner before losing to Ronald Reagan in 1984
A Harris campaign official said Catholics for Harris-Walz is working to register people to vote and conduct outreach efforts across the country.
Trump’s message comes in part from Questions 2018 that then-Senator Harris confronted a federal judicial nominee about his membership in the Knights of Columbus, a lay Catholic fraternal organization.
Harris asked the nominee if he agreed with the group’s leader’s anti-abortion positions, which largely aligned with the church’s position.