Former US President Donald Trump on Thursday night insulted Vice President Kamala Harris’ family, mispronounced her name several times and complained about how poorly he was treated during his presidency, drawing occasional applause and some laughs from a friendly crowd at the Al Smith benefit dinner.
Trump’s monologue at the famous Catholic fundraiser, a venue in New York City that traditionally sees mild attacks from the two major party candidates in presidential election years, came while Harris — who decided last month that would not attend the event — ending his sixth trip to battleground Wisconsin since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Thousands of kilometers away — traveling through the critical states known as “blue walls” (predominantly Democratic states) and trying to consolidate her more favorable path to the White House — she intensified her attacks on her Republican rival using his words against him, to as the race enters its final weeks.
“Sometimes it gets even more unbelievable. And now the man calls himself the father of in vitro fertilization,” Harris said Thursday, recalling Trump’s remark at a women-only town hall.
“I mean, what does that mean?” And she accused Trump of “gaslighting” the American people after he called January 6, 2021, “the day of love” at his Univision town hall earlier this week.
Back in Manhattan, the former president was surrounded by a motley crew of friends, enemies, and those who might qualify as both.
New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and former first lady Melania Trump flanked Trump, who may have noticed that New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully brought a massive civil fraud case against him, was hovering over his shoulder.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, a major donor, did so as well. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg sat almost expressionless during the former president’s remarks.
When it was his turn to speak, Trump delivered a few short sentences but limited himself to insulting his rivals, arguing that Harris’ absence was “profoundly disrespectful” to Catholics.
Exit polls in 2020 showed Biden — who would become the country’s second Catholic president — finishing with a 5-point lead over Trump among Catholic voters.
Trump surpassed Hillary Clinton four years earlier by almost the same margin. Asked about the dispute in September, Pope Francis said only that Americans should “choose the lesser of two evils.”
As he did so many times during the campaign, Trump belittled the vice president’s intelligence.
“Right now, we have someone in the White House who can barely speak, can barely string two coherent sentences together, who appears to have the mental faculties of a child. There is a person who has nothing going on. No intelligence,” Trump said. “But enough about Kamala Harris.”
After ridiculing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, for their support of transgender rights, Trump made a point of acknowledging that politicians have historically used the event to dismiss a little self-deprecating humor.
“No,” he said after a pause. “I have nothing.”
The former president in his comments also doubled down on his support for New York Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted on corruption charges by federal prosecutors last month.
After wishing Adams “good luck,” Trump repeated the well-known lie that the Justice Department indicted Adams over the mayor’s criticism of the Biden administration’s border policy.
“You’re going to win, I think you’re going to win, I know you’re going to win, so good luck,” Trump told Adams. “Good luck. I don’t like what they do.”
Trump was convicted earlier this year in New York on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He has pleaded not guilty in three additional criminal cases, which he frequently claims — without evidence — are political revenge orchestrated by Biden.
Harris was not present at the dinner, which was held remotely in 2020 during the Covid pandemic, but sent a video message to attendees.
“The Gospel of Luke tells us that faith has the power to shine a light on those who live in darkness and guide our feet onto the path of peace,” Harris said. “And in honor of the great Al Smith, let us fight to build a better future with faith in God, our country and each other.”
In her video, the vice president also did a skit with comedian Molly Shannon, who returned to her “Saturday Night Live” character of Mary Katherine Gallagher, the always-excited Catholic student who advised Harris to “not say anything negative about Catholics” in his comments.
“I would never do that no matter where I was,” Harris said, before delivering his joke. “It would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit.”
Trump did just that last week during a campaign stop in the Motor City, which he likened to a “developing nation.”
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This content was originally published in Trump insults Kamala at charity dinner, while the vice president mocks the Republican’s old statements on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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