What Is the Al Smith Dinner and Why Is Kamala Harris Skipping It?

Since 1960, when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon ran for president, only one major party candidate had ever refused to attend New York’s Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner.
Now, there will be two.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, confirmed this week that she will skip the event, hosted by the Archbishop of New York and scheduled this year for Oct. 17. Every four years, the annual white-tie gala, which raises money for Catholic charities, traditionally brings together the presidential candidates from both parties for a night of lighthearted roasting and a brief interlude of bipartisan camaraderie.
Harris’ team told organizers that she would be willing to attend the fundraiser as president if she’s elected, but that she will be busy campaigning on the day of the event this year. Trump, meanwhile, will make his third appearance at the dinner.
Her absence will make her the second major-party candidate to decline an invitation in over six decades, and the first since Walter Mondale no-showed at the 1984 event.
The Smith dinner, first held in 1945 to honor New York’s former governor and the first Catholic presidential candidate, Al Smith, has become a cornerstone of U.S. political tradition. Since 1960, it has served as one of the last opportunities for both candidates to appear together before Election Day, often trading good-natured barbs in the heat of political battle.
Over the years, these lighthearted moments have provided some memorable lines. In 2000, George W. Bush famously quipped to the elite crowd, “This is an impressive crowd—the haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base.”
That remark later appeared in Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 and was used in one of John Kerry’s 2004 campaign ads.
At the 2012 Al Smith Dinner, both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney delivered speeches filled with humor and self-deprecating jokes. Obama took a playful jab at Romney’s wealth, saying, “Earlier today, I went shopping at some stores in Midtown. I understand Gov. Romney went shopping for some stores in Midtown.”
Romney, known for being more reserved, surprised the audience with his sharp quips, noting that the dinner was a chance to relax and wear “what Ann and I wear around the house.”
However, the playful tone can sometimes shift. In 2016, Donald Trump’s remarks about Hillary Clinton — with her sitting next to him on the dais — started with laughter but quickly turned into boos and heckling among the well-heeled attendees.
“I wasn’t really sure if Hillary was going to be here tonight because, I guess, you didn’t send her an invitation by email. Or maybe you did, and she just found out about it through the wonder of WikiLeaks,” Trump joked, before going further, calling her “corrupt” and claiming she “hates Catholics.”
The two candidates shook hands that night —possibly for the first and last time.
Four years later, coming in the middle of the pandemic, the fundraiser was held online. Trump and Joe Biden, who is Catholic, both spoke at the virtual event, but there was no joking; instead, both candidates used their speeches to appeal directly to Catholic voters.
Many pundits were surprised that Harris declined to attend the Smith dinner this year, which would likely have been the last time they’d be in the same room before Election Day, given that there does not appear to be a consensus on a second debate.
Harris’ team said that the Vice President prefers to focus on key battleground states rather than spending time in heavily Democratic New York City three weeks before the election, a campaign official said Saturday.
That was not enough for Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York and organizer of the dinner, who offered a subtle reminder of what happened the last time a candidate declined the invitation.
“We’re not used to this; we don’t know how to handle it,” Dolan said on Monday.
“This hasn’t happened in 40 years, since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states.” In 1984, Mondale went on to suffer a landslide defeat against Ronald Reagan, marking the last time a candidate won the popular vote by double digits.
Dolan, who has been highly critical of Democrats in the past—even writing a 2018 Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “The Democrats Abandon Catholics”—remains hopeful despite Harris’ decision.
“We’re not giving up,” he said, hinting that the door is still open for a potential change of plans.
Meanwhile, Trump chimed in with a Truth Social post on Monday, saying it was “sad, but not surprising” that Harris had opted out.
In the same post, Trump said Harris “certainly hasn’t been very nice” to Catholics, adding that Catholic voters who support her “should have their head examined,” echoing a similar line he used when addressing Jewish voters.