CNN Host Raps Harris For Skipping Al Smith Dinner

Democrat presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, has faced several missteps throughout her campaign against former President Donald Trump, but her latest one could be her most damaging.

CNN host Michael Smerconish appeared on "CNN This Morning" with Kasie Hunt to discuss why he believes Harris’ decision to skip the Al Smith Dinner, a nonpartisan Catholic fundraising event, was a major blunder.

“I’ve already praised the vice president for her performance in the Bret Baier interview. But I have to say, I think she really made a mistake by not attending the dinner. She should’ve been there. Humor can be a powerful political tool,” he said, before critiquing the Republican candidate.

“I thought Donald Trump misjudged the audience. He was undisciplined and mostly unfunny. That edited clip you showed was very kind to Trump because those were his best moments. In most other parts, he missed the mark—it was cringeworthy and unnecessarily nasty. He, too, wasted an opportunity to pay respect to the cardinal, deliver some light humor, and keep it civil. He should’ve taken a lesson from Jim Gaffigan, who was hilarious and set the right tone for the night,” Smerconish added.

However, many who watched the event or saw clips afterward felt that the former president delivered an impressive performance, using humor effectively against his political rivals.

“It’s a true pleasure to be with you this evening. Amazing pleasure. And these days, it’s really a pleasure anywhere in New York without a subpoena for my appearance,” Trump quipped, referencing the legal cases brought against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Trump criticized Harris for sending a video message instead of attending in person, calling it “very disrespectful” to the Catholic community, and gave her a historical warning.

“The last Democrat who didn’t attend this important event was Walter Mondale, and it didn’t end well for him. He lost 49 states, winning only Minnesota,” Trump warned, before launching another jab at her.

“But if you really wanted Vice President Harris to show up, maybe you should have said the funds were going to bail out the looters and rioters in Minneapolis, and she would’ve been here. Guaranteed, she would’ve been here,” Trump said.

Trump also took a swipe at both Harris and President Biden, saying, “Right now we have someone in the White House who can barely speak, barely string together two coherent sentences, and seems to have the mental faculties of a child. It’s sad. There’s someone who has nothing going on, no intelligence whatsoever—but enough about Kamala Harris,” he said.

After throwing some jokes at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Trump turned his attention to a group he humorously called “White Dudes for Harris.”

“There’s this group called White Dudes for Harris. Anybody heard of it? Anyone here part of it? White Dudes for Harris? Doesn’t seem like it. But I’m not concerned, because their wives—and their wives’ lovers—are all voting for me,” Trump joked.

Later in his speech, Trump made fun of himself again, taking a light-hearted jab at his own ego.