I keep saying that 2024 feels like a complete replay of 2016 and we just got another marker to hammer that home….the Al Smith Dinner.
President Trump has only spoken at the Al Smith Dinner three times in history, and the 2020 event was very “off” and non-standard as everything was that year:
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2016 – During his presidential campaign, where both he and Hillary Clinton were speakers. This event was noted for its particularly contentious atmosphere.
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2020 – Both Trump and Joe Biden spoke at a virtual version of the fundraiser due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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2024 – Trump headlined the dinner again, delivering remarks that were described as pointed and at times bitter, focusing on criticism towards Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats.
So it feels like 2024 is repeating the 2016 cycle right down to the vibe at the Al Smith Dinner.
Let me show you what I mean…
I know a lot has been posted on this already, but I want to show you everything that jumped out at me, and probably a few things you might have missed.
Let’s start with the host, and who else could do it but the man who plays Tim Walz on SNL — Jim Gaffigan.
Gaffigan started with this joke which most people loved but I felt was a bit of a groaner:
Jim Gaffigan draws audible gasps at the Al Smith dinner:⁰
“During the first and only debate, President Trump talked about migrants taking cats and eating them. If you’re keeping track at home, this is the second time grabbing a kitty has been part of a campaign issue.” pic.twitter.com/eOsqWoTZjj— Daniel (@TheDancuso) October 18, 2024
But then he took the gloves off and absolutely eviscerated Kamala Harris…
This is just wow:
Breaking: Jim Gaffigan just lost all of his future comedy specials on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/fbB4ustojL
— Clint Russell (@LibertyLockPod) October 18, 2024
But that was just a warmup compared to this next one…
Kamala Harris did not even appear at the event, sending in a video instead.
And Gaffigan absolutely took her apart over it in hilarious fashion:
Kamala Harris sends dumb video for prestigious Al Smith Dinner will be the final blow to her campaign. So disrespectful to 22M catholic voters.
1) She didn’t show up & 2) then used actors in her video.
Trump went on to do 25 min nonstop without a prompter. pic.twitter.com/qPQCgBddil
— Grant Cardone (@GrantCardone) October 18, 2024
Speaking of Gaffigan, he’s been a pretty ardent Never-Trumper suffering from extreme TDS at times, but here is a very interesting clip of Joe Rogan educating him on J6:
You may recall that Jim Gaffigan had one of the most severe cases of TDS on earth. So why did he joke at the expense of the DNC tonight?
Well, about a year ago, Joe Rogan blew his mind with the evidence of fed involvement during J6
He might be waking up. pic.twitter.com/LxJLH20ReC
— Clint Russell (@LibertyLockPod) October 18, 2024
Then we got a round of roaring applause for Melania:
🚨WOW! THE AL SMITH NYC DINNER JUST GAVE MELANIA TRUMP A ROARING APPLAUSE!
Look how loving Donald and Melania look together!
We know the FAKE NEWS won't report this.
Share to make this go viral! pic.twitter.com/iTpPITr2vo
— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) October 18, 2024
Then we go to our main event….the headliner, Donald J. Trump!
He has so many classic moments, but this was one of my favorites:
“Unfortunately, Governor Walz isn’t here himself. But don’t worry, he’ll say that he was."
🔊
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) October 18, 2024
This was also hilarious:
Trump's self deprecating jokes, an Al Smith dinner tradition:
"Tradition holds that I'm supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes this evening, so here it goes:
Nope, I've got nothing.
There's nothing to say. I guess I just don't see the point in taking shots at myself when… pic.twitter.com/4FLXHAxNaT— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) October 18, 2024
He absolutely destroyed Bill De Blasio right to his face:
Trump trashes Bill de Blasio at the Al Smith dinner:
"I'm surprised that Bill de Blasio was actually able to make it tonight. He was a terrible mayor. I don't give a SHIT if this is comedy or not. He was a terrible mayor. He did a horrible job." pic.twitter.com/PXCSr46wiS
— Daniel (@TheDancuso) October 18, 2024
And although they all claim to hate him, they gave him a standing ovation as he took the stage:
Trump just received a standing ovation from everyone at the Al Smith Dinner. Even though most of them hate his guts, I bet they respect him for showing up, unlike Kamala pic.twitter.com/skcrrUZtc9
— George (@BehizyTweets) October 18, 2024
Even Letitia James, if you can believe this….
Really let this sink in — the woman who has been prosecuting him on bogus charges is standing there applauding him as he takes the stage to give a 28 minute roast/speech — the irony!
Letitia James is standing and clapping for Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/GOIpxMwGwP
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) October 18, 2024
Of all the people, why would she even attend?
And why would she be seated right there of all places?
Folks, are we truly watching a movie? Is this all scripted? How else do you explain the complete nonsensical placement of Letitia James right in camera shot on stage?
Collin Rugg listed these as his Top 5 favorite moments:
Donald Trump held nothing back at the Al Smith dinner in New York, even joking about Kamala Harris' husband's "nanny issue."
Here are his top jokes of the night:
5. Trump said he didn't realize men could get periods until he saw Tim Walz.
4. Trump says he has to wrap up his… pic.twitter.com/tQq9Hu5143
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 18, 2024
If you’d like to watch President Trump’s entire roast/speech, I have that for you.
Watch right here:
If you missed Trump’s ROAST of Kamala Harris and the Dems tonight, you need to watch this now.
Trust me on this. It’s freaking legendary 🤣
Here’s the whole thing 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/GPwfhPE6UA
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 18, 2024
And for the whole event from start to finish, you can find that right here.
Enjoy:
I liked this insight from Starbuck:
Trump basically did a full standup set at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner tonight and Kamala became the first Democrat to skip the dinner since Walter Mondale.
Mondale lost every state but one after that.
A truly legendary comedy set. 😂 pic.twitter.com/lqVtI2rIlD
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) October 18, 2024
Now let’s go back in time and revisit the Al Smith Dinner from 2016.
Because while this one was incredible, that one is already historic:
SPOTLIGHT: The Al Smith Roast Was Donald Trump’s Official “Declaration of War” on the Deep State
SPOTLIGHT: The Al Smith Roast Was Donald Trump's Official "Declaration of War" on the Deep State
Do you remember in infamous Al Smith dinner where Donald Trump (before he became president) walked in and took on the entire room?
It's one of the seminal moments of his career, in my opinion.
And I thought it was a very good time to flashback to this moment because I think it falls squarely into the "President Trump Has Been Telling Us All Along" file.
The event is known for toasts that take on a "roast" vibe.
And as in all roasts, some can be hard-hitting but it's meant to be all in good fun.
And I thought now was a VERY good time to revisit it.
Shall we?
When President Trump took the mic, we witnessed something the room was NOT ready for.
He started off with some good-natured jabs, but about halfway through the laughs stopped and it was clear he was no longer really joking.
I had written more about this before:
Do you remember when this happened?
It was during the campaigns, before the election.
It was at the Al Smith Charity Dinner, where the tradition is a friendly roast of each other.
Trump delivered what I believe to be one of his most masterful performances ever.
I believe he wrote the entire thing himself.
It started out lighthearted and funny, but towards the end he took some real shots and he wasn’t laughing anymore.
I believe he was telegraphing exactly what he intended to do to Hillary Clinton and the entire Deep State over the next 8 years.
Folks, just look at the crowd shots when the camera pans out…..this is the Lion’s Den of the Deep State, crawling with Swamp Things!
President Trump walked right into their den and punched them all in the mouth, and he did it under the guise and covering of comedy.
He had them laughing at their future demise, but you can start to see when the laughs turn to genuine concern near the end.
I recently came across the video again and whenever I see a link to it, I almost can't help myself from watching it again.
It's that good.
But a thought struck me this time as I was watching....
I really think this was Donald Trump's declaration of war on the Deep State.
Backup here:
FLASHBACK ARCHIVE -- President Trump's infamous "Al Smith" Dinner Roast
Declaration of War on the Deep State pic.twitter.com/uNx3GpbMKL
— DailyNoah.com (@DailyNoahNews) September 20, 2023
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