The barbs were flying at Thursday night’s Al Smith dinner in New York as former President Donald Trump used the usually self-deprecating affair to lay out a litany of criticisms of his Democratic opponents.

Vice President Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, were not spared by Trump, who ripped the latter for his emasculated mannerisms and the former for her quixotic campaign stops. Harris recently appeared alongside Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer who herself last week appeared to mock the Catholic ritual of communion by feeding a Doritos chip to a podcaster. Whitmer profusely apologized after being criticized for the stunt which she said was intended to promote the Biden-Harris administration’s CHIPS Act. “I must say I was shocked when I heard that Kamala was skipping the Al Smith dinner. I’d really hoped that she would come because we can’t get enough of hearing her beautiful laugh. She laughs like crazy — we would all recognize it anywhere in this room,” he prefaced. “All polls indicate I’m leading big with the Catholic vote, as I should be. But I don’t think Kamala has given up. She has, instead of attending tonight, she’s in Michigan receiving communion from Gretchen Whitmer.”

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WATCH;

NEW: Trump says Kamala Harris couldn't show up to the Al Smith dinner because she is busy getting communion from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Whitmer went viral for feeding a chip to a begging feminist on her knees last week.

Lmao. pic.twitter.com/qhCesVTf8U

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 18, 2024

Other notable guests seated on stage largely smiled politely or shook their heads as President Trump held court, knocking Harris and Walz for veering far to the left earlier in their political careers. “Unfortunately Governor Walz isn’t here himself, but don’t worry, he’ll say that he was,” Trump started, taking a shot at Walz for his previous, and false, insistence that he fought in active combat. “I used to think the Democrats were crazy for saying that men had periods, but then I met Tim Walz.” The crowd roared.

WATCH:

🚨TRUMP: "Unfortunately Governor Walz isn't here himself, but don't worry, he'll say that he was. I used to think the democrats were crazy for saying that men had periods, but then I met Tim Walz." LOL!😂💀 pic.twitter.com/nPHRGOJrHQ

— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) October 18, 2024

Both Harris and Walz have given Republicans plenty of ammunition to work with after being on the campaign trail for just over two months. The first 30 days were a memorable media blackout period for the vice president before both candidates appeared for a joint interview while Walz himself brought a series of controversies to the ticket. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) led Republicans in alleging that the Minnesota governor committed “stolen valor” when he ran for Congress while promoting a military title that was later rescinded over his refusal to fight in Iraq. His stuttering, ill-prepared performance at the vice presidential debate also shook Democrats’ confidence in their ticket, forcing Harris to conduct a recent round of hastily arranged interviews including with Fox News.

Trump in contrast is now backing away from interview requests, content to confine himself to podiums where he largely has free rein to speak uninterrupted on any topic he wishes. He is also not constrained by the Harris “honeymoon” period, which appears to have dissipated since August’s Democratic National Convention. Today, political betting markets and recent polls are predicting that the former president will win the White House.

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