Cardinal Timothy Dolan didn’t hold back his disappointment after Vice President Kamala Harris decided to skip the annual Al Smith dinner.
This event, which raises funds for Catholic Charities, has become a staple of presidential election campaigns, providing a rare moment of unity where candidates from both sides of the political aisle come together in good humor. Harris, however, chose to campaign in a battleground state instead of attending, a decision that Dolan was quick to criticize.
The cardinal, who is the Archbishop of New York and plays a key role in the event, expressed his surprise. "We were looking forward to giving the vice president an enthusiastic welcome," Dolan said, referencing Harris' frequent calls for unity. He then pointed to a bit of political history, noting that the last Democrat to skip the dinner was Walter Mondale in 1984.
Mondale, of course, went on to lose in a historic landslide, winning just one state. Dolan stopped short of drawing a direct connection between skipping the dinner and political misfortune but left the comparison hanging.
Cardinal Dolan on Kamala Harris snubbing the Catholic community by skipping the Al Smith charity dinner: "This hasn’t happened in 40 years since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states."pic.twitter.com/XjOubeFwhY
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) September 24, 2024
Harris’ absence stands out even more given that past presidential candidates like Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton have all attended the dinner—Biden even made an online appearance in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Trump himself quickly seized the moment, calling Harris' decision "sad, but not surprising" in a post on Truth Social, where he also criticized her record with Catholics. The former president has often drawn fire for his comments at past dinners, notably in 2016 when he was booed for remarks about Clinton.
The dinner, named for Alfred E. Smith, the first Catholic to be nominated for president by a major party in 1928, is deeply rooted in tradition. Over the years, it has served as a stage for political rivals to showcase their lighter sides, but Harris' decision to skip it in favor of campaigning in key swing states signals just how much is at stake in the upcoming election.
While Harris' campaign has downplayed the snub, emphasizing her focus on winning crucial battlegrounds, the absence is significant in an event so intertwined with Catholic values and the political landscape. Her team indicated she’d be willing to attend the dinner as president, should she win, but for now, Dolan’s disappointment—and Trump’s sharp rebuke—dominate the narrative surrounding her decision.