What to know about the Al Smith dinner: Trump plans to attend, Harris plans to skip
Former President Donald Trump said Monday he will attend a historic charity dinner while Vice President Kamala Harris plans to skip it.
The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner , a white-tie charity event in New York City, is known for prominent political figures poking fun at one another and the issues of the moment.
The Harris campaign confirmed with USA TODAY that the Democratic presidential nominee will not attend the dinner scheduled for Oct. 17, as they want to focus on the battleground states so close to the election.
The campaign noted her commitment to engaging Catholic voters and said Harris would attend as president if elected.
Trump slammed Harris on Truth Social , saying it is an honor to attend and "sad, but not surprising, that (Harris) has decided not to attend."
"I don't know what she has against our Catholic friends, but it must be a lot, because she certainly hasn't been very nice to them," Trump's Truth Social post read.
Who is Al Smith?Alfred E. Smith, for whom the foundation is named, was the former governor of New York and the first Catholic to win a major party nomination for president.
Smith was elected to the governor's office for four terms between 1918 and 1926.
In 1928, Smith was the Democratic nominee for president, staying true to his political roots in New York City and championing urban causes during his campaign, according to the foundation website .
Smith lost to former President Herbert Hoover in a landslide election in 1928.
Al Smith charity dinner known for humor, Catholic originsThe Al Smith dinner benefits Catholic charities. Smith was known for his sense of humor, and speakers at the event often take jabs at themselves or others.
In 2016, Trump and his opponent Hillary Clinton took swipes at one another, but some of the audience booed at Trump , feeling he went too far.
In 2017, Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan came under fire for his relationship with Trump, according to CNN, and he gave the invocation at Trump's inauguration .
In 2020, President Joe Biden and Trump gave virtual remarks that largely put jokes aside due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden is the second Catholic American president after John F. Kennedy.
Comedian Jim Gaffigan to emcee Al Smith dinnerActor and comedian Jim Gaffigan, whose Catholic faith often comes up in his jokes, is the master of ceremonies for the Al Smith dinner this year.
In 2020, Gaffigan attacked Trump on Twitter , now known as X, calling him "a liar and a criminal."
"Remember everything Trump accuses the Democrats of he's guilt of. Dont let the socialist name calling distract you from the fact he is a fascist who has no belief in law," he said in a post .
USA TODAY reached out to Gaffigan's representatives for this story.
