The hosts of The View criticized the Al Smith dinner for inviting former President Donald Trump, arguing the event should have broken tradition by excluding him.
The Al Smith dinner is considered a highlight of the election campaign. Politicians from both sides of the aisle break bread and trade good-natured jabs at the charity dinner, which is aimed at raising funds for women and children in need.
While both presidential candidates were invited to the event, only Trump attended in person, with Harris sending a pre-recorded video instead. Harris opted to skip the event in favor of making her sixth appearance in Wisconsin, a key battleground state, since launching her presidential campaign.
“They [the dinner] help immigrants, so to have Donald Trump sitting there and we are pretending that he is some sort of upstanding citizen, I find this rather offensive,” co-host Ana Navarro said during Friday’s episode. “I’m glad Kamala wasn’t there.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., listens at the 79th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo
The Al Smith dinner is named after former New York Governor Alfred E. Smith, who became the first Catholic nominated for president by a major U.S. political party when he ran as the Democratic nominee in the 1928 presidential election. Smith lost to Republican former President Herbert Hoover.
Many of Trump’s jokes came at her expense, with the Republican nominee saying Harris was busy “receiving communion from [Michigan Governor] Gretchen Whitmer.”
Joy Behar joked, “Is this Catholic church event normalizing a guy who’s already broken 11 of the 10 Commandments.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin said Trump stands against everything a Catholic “believes and holds dear,” emphasizing he is not a faithful man and should not have been invited.
“I hate to break with tradition, because this is a tradition, and it’s a tradition to have both presidential candidates come to this particular dinner,” Hostin said. “But sometimes there’s a time to break tradition. You can’t have a felon, a liar, a serial cheater.”
She even took a jab at his marriage to Melania Trump, remarking, “He had Melania next to him, his third wife, whom he cheated on with Stormy Daniels while she was pregnant.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump gestures as he departs the 79th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo
Despite being absent for most of the campaign trail, Melania made a public appearance with her husband for the dinner. Many viewers noted she did not look pleased when Trump’s Hollywood Access tape was brought up by comedian Jim Gaffigan.
“During the first and only debate, President Trump talked about migrants taking cats and eating them,” Gaffigan said. “You know, if you’re keeping track at home, this is the second time grabbing a kitty has been part of a campaign issue.”
Co-host Sara Haines disagreed, arguing he should be invited as the Republican candidate.
“Being the lead Republican candidate that was nominated by his party, whether I agree or not, they need to be there, because why tell people ‘he’s crazy, we benched him.’ Let him speak for himself,” Haines said.
Trump even cracked a joke about The View at the infamous dinner.
“The View is so bad now that the other day I was watching it and thinking to myself, you know they really need to bring Rosie O’Donnell back,” Trump said. “They are bad news.”
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