The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner (a.k.a. the Al Smith Dinner) was held in New York City on Thursday night. The white tie fundraiser supports Catholic charities work with children in the Archdiocese of New York and attracts a who’s who of politicians, media, and the like.
While Kamala Harris became the first presidential candidate since Walter Mondale to not attend the gala, Megyn and her husband Doug were in the room to witness the comedy stylings of Donald Trump, Jim Gaffigan, and more. On Friday’s show, she was joined by The Daily Mail’s Maureen Callahan to discuss the event and why Harris should have been there.
The Dinner
Megyn has been to the Al Smith Dinner a few times dating back to her time at Fox News. “I am a Catholic and I love Cardinal [Timothy] Dolan, so it is kind of fun to go,” she shared. She even bumped into an old friend. “I ran into my beloved executive producer from The Kelly File, Tom Lowell,” Megyn said. “As I said on Shawn Ryan’s show, he is like a blood brother to me – my EP for 10 years.”
As Megyn explained, the evening is special because of how unique it is. “What traditionally happens is the two presidential candidates come and they make fun of themselves and each other,” she noted. “It is very good natured… and the whole setting is bipartisan.”
So bipartisan, in fact, that Megyn said the dais was a sight to be seen. “It was kind of bizarre… [to see] everybody up on the dais,” she noted. “You had Letitia James, the attorney general of the State of New York, and Trump, the man whose fortune she is currently trying to steal.”
Normally, Harris would have been up there as well as the Democratic nominee, but she made headlines last month when she said she would not attend. The last candidate to do miss it was Mondale in 1984, and he went on to lose 49 of the 50 states to Ronald Reagan – something Trump poked fun at in his remarks.
Megyn believes Harris should have made time for the event. “Not show up… was a mistake. It would have been a chance to do some outreach to Catholics,” Megyn said. “It is not just about New York, which she is going to win… It is about: What message are you sending to Catholics in America? This is a very big, important gathering for them.”
Harris Zooms In
While she wasn’t in the room, Harris attempted to make her presence known by sending a video instead. She appeared alongside Molly Shannon, who resurrected her Mary Katherine Gallagher character from Saturday Night Live, for a brief skit before pivoting to a more serious message.
Megyn said the clip largely fell flat in the room, and she felt similarly after rewatching it on video. “I went back and watched it again this morning because my experience of it in the room was… she is not warm and she just totally missed the moment,” she said. “The moment is about being funny, making fun of yourself, and then, yes, others too… She did not make fun of herself at all.”
Callahan said it is part of a pattern for Harris. “This is what really struck me, and I think goes to the core of her essential problem: She cannot laugh at herself,” she explained. “She does not have a sense of humor, which is a sign of intelligence. People love nothing more than others who can poke fun at themselves… and we saw Trump do it.”
Ironically, Megyn happened upon Harris in the most unexpected place. “What was Kamala Harris doing in the ladies’ room,” she joked.
Trump Shows Up
Trump, meanwhile, was there to deliver a host of zingers about embattled Mayor Adams, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Presdent Joe Biden, Gov. Tim Walz, Harris, and himself.
But Megyn said there was a much more introspective moment that stood out to her and Doug. “Trump had a moment up there that was actually kind of interior. He said seething like, ‘If you think it’s that easy to come up here and speak to a room like this where half the people hate you guts and the other half loves you’… and he was exactly right,” she noted. “Like, this is New York City… these were not his fans, but he came, and he stood in front of us, and he did his bit in good humored way.”
Ultimately, Callahan thinks that will go a long way in the final weeks of this race. “No matter what you think of Trump, he was charming… and that goes a long way relatedly,” Callahan concluded. “There are so many people in this race… who are considering Donald Trump in ways they thought they never would, and I think there is going to be such a silent turnout for him.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Callahan by tuning in to episode 921 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.