Skip to main content
We may receive compensation from affiliate partners for some links on this site. Read our full Disclosure here.

President Trump At The Al Smith Dinner — It’s 2016 All Over Again!


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:

  1. 2016 – During his presidential campaign, where both he and Hillary Clinton were speakers. This event was noted for its particularly contentious atmosphere.
  2. 2020 – Both Trump and Joe Biden spoke at a virtual version of the fundraiser due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. 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:

ADVERTISEMENT

But then he took the gloves off and absolutely eviscerated Kamala Harris…

This is just wow:

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:

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:

Then we got a round of roaring applause for Melania:

ADVERTISEMENT

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:

This was also hilarious:

He absolutely destroyed Bill De Blasio right to his face:

ADVERTISEMENT

And although they all claim to hate him, they gave him a standing ovation as he took the stage:

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!

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:

If you’d like to watch President Trump’s entire roast/speech, I have that for you.

Watch right here:

ADVERTISEMENT

And for the whole event from start to finish, you can find that right here.

Enjoy:

I liked this insight from Starbuck:

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:



 

Join the conversation!

Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!

Leave a comment
Thanks for sharing!