NEW YORK (OSV News) – In a year characterized by disruption and division at the national and local levels, the normally formulaic annual dinner of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation reflected the general unease of the times.
Since 1946, the event has been a rare opportunity for prominent national and international figures to poke gentle fun at themselves and others while raising significant funds for charitable works in the Archdiocese of New York. The 2024 dinner – held Oct. 17 – raised a record almost-$10 million, the foundation revealed that night.
The annual dinner celebrates the memory of the former four-term New York governor, a legendary champion of the downtrodden who in 1928 became the first Catholic to be nominated for president of the United States by a major party. Running as the Democratic nominee for president, Smith lost that election to Republican Herbert Hoover. Starting in 1960, presidential candidates have been invited to speak at the Al Smith dinner, which is often the last time the contenders meet before the November election.
This year, former President Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, was the keynote speaker. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, declined to attend in person, but sent a video message.
In his remarks, Trump lambasted Harris for not attending the dinner in person. To applause, he said the move was deeply disrespectful to the Catholic community and he suggested she might suffer the same fate as Walter Mondale, the last Democratic presidential contender who turned down the invitation. Mondale lost 49 states to President Ronald Reagan in that election, winning only his home state of Minnesota.
Trump said it was his third time on the dais, but recalled attending the dinner for many years with his late father, real estate developer Fred Trump. His father had a big heart, Trump said, and handed out $100-dollar bills to people he passed who were begging, holding tin cans.
Referencing his myriad legal troubles, Trump said that it was a pleasure to be at the event.
“These days it’s really a pleasure anywhere in New York without a subpoena for my appearance,” he quipped.
Trump said he never likes the people he’s competing against, and “can’t stand” Harris now, but will like her a lot when he wins the election. He drew a chorus of boos when he said the dinner organizers could have gotten Harris to attend if they told her the proceeds would bail out looters and rioters in Minneapolis.
Trump acknowledged that he was expected to make self-deprecating remarks, but declined to do so because he didn’t see the point when others were doing it for him. He took aim at Harris, President Joe Biden, the nation’s second Catholic president, former President Barack Obama, ABC and CNN. He also made vulgar comments about Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, and former New York Mayor Bill DiBlasio, the latter being also on the dais.
During his free-flowing 28-minute address, Trump attributed his safety in the face of two recent assassination attempts to the help of God. He reiterated familiar promises about his approach to inflation, border security and the Middle East. He said “religious people” approached him at the dinner asking for help in Ukraine and said he would get the situation “settled up” if he wins.
Trump was both applauded and booed as he finished his remarks.
Kamala Harris’ videotaped remarks featured comedian and actress Molly Shannon’s Saturday Night Live character, Catholic school girl Mary Katherine Gallagher. As Gallagher, Shannon advised Harris to avoid lies in her speech and remember that the event was being fact-checked by Jesus. Harris quipped she would never bear false witness, especially about her neighbor’s election results.
Harris said it is time to reach across divides, seek common ground and build a better future with faith in God, the country and each other. The video was met overall with applause.
Catholic comedian Jim Gaffigan was the evening’s master of ceremonies. He greeted the patrons of the $5,000-a-plate dinner with “Good evening rich people” and quickly addressed what he called the elephant in the room, pointing out who was not there. “Of course, I’m talking about the middle class,” he said.
Addressing New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, and claiming not to want to put him on the spot, Gaffigan noted Pope Francis characterized the upcoming election as the choice between the lesser of two evils. The emcee asked a two-part question, “One, do you agree? And two, who’s more evil?” To laughter, he said, “OK, I'll get back to you.”
Gaffigan said 22% of Americans identify as Catholic and Catholics will be a key demographic in every battleground state. “Why is Vice President Harris not here,” he puzzled, to both cheers and boos. “This is a room full of Catholics and Jews in New York City. This is a layup for the Democratic nominee!”
Turning to former first lady Melania Trump seated next to her husband on the dais, Gaffigan said, “Jesus taught us to forgive 70 times seven. And Melania, you may be the first person to actually reach that!”
The Oct. 17 scene was stunning, per tradition. One hundred luminaries in white-tie dress, evening gowns or clerical attire were individually introduced as they took their seats on a three-tiered dais backed by a huge American flag. The group included church leaders, current and former office holders, and personalities from the worlds of business, sports and entertainment. Cardinal Dolan was seated between New York's Sen. Charles Schumer, the U.S. senate majority leader, and President Trump.
More than 1,100 formally dressed guests sat elbow-to-elbow at candle-lit, flower-bedecked circular tables in the grand ballroom of the New York Hilton Midtown. They dined on grilled filet of beef, preceded by an appetizer of chilled lobster and jumbo crab, and followed by baked Alaska for dessert. California wines were served.
Cardinal Dolan offered the invocation and benediction. Sporting a tiny original “Al Smith for President” button on his shoulder cape, he invoked God's blessing on the generous participants and the women and children in need who benefit from the evening’s proceeds.
Mary Callahan Erdoes, vice chair of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, asked guests to wear a small blue sticker placed at their tables to support the “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign. It is a project of dinner guest Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.
The 50-member Young People’s Chorus of New York sang the national anthem to open the dinner.
Security at the sold-out event was extraordinary. The New York Police Department cordoned off the surrounding streets. Hours before the invocation, guests, members of the media and a caterer and his two-tiered cart of fresh cookies cleared metal detectors supervised by Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security officers.
(Beth Griffin writes for OSV News from New York.)
