Video: Al Smith Dinner Erupts in Boos for Donald Trump After 'Jokes' Turn Nasty

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were in the same room together for the final time in the 2017 campaign Thursday night — and only Cardinal Timothy Dolan stood between the two of them as they traded what were supposed to be lighthearted barbs.

That's the tradition, anyway — the candidates gather with the clergy and guests, and the nominees poke light fun at themselves and at each other. Instead, Trump, who spoke first, was booed loudly after deviating from the jokes and outright calling Clinton "corrupt."

He started off poking fun at his wife Melania for her plagiarism of Michelle Obama's speech at the Republican National Convention and joking Clinton bumped into him backstage and said "pardon me," eliciting his response, "We'll see about that after I get into office." But things crumbled from there as Trump fell into his campaign stumping, and the crowd grew restless. Nobody could be blamed for expecting to see rotten tomatoes flying toward the dais.

Clinton delivered a milder speech, joking about her health, saying she'd normally be taking a nap this late, and saying Trump looks at the Statue of Liberty and "sees a 4, maybe a 5." She closed with a thank you for the real purpose of the dinner — raising funds for children's charities through the Archdiocese of New York.

ORIGINAL STORY

The 71st annual Al Smith Foundation Dinner was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Waldorf Astoria in Midtown Manhattan. And as is tradition in election years, both candidates spoke at the white-tie dinner.

The dinner's organizers describe the event as a chance for the candidates to entertain "with their light humor and political savvy."

The 2016 presidential campaign has been marked by anything but light humor.

Joe Mercurio, a longtime New York-based political consultant and teacher of political communications at Fordham, does not expect it to be cordial.

"I don't think Trump will leave it at, 'You’re fired.' I think he’ll get nasty," Mercurio said, referring to Trump's catchphrase from his reality show, "The Apprentice." "It's very hard to predict which Trump will show up. Even if the Trump on message shows up, he gets off message so quickly."

"I don't think it's going to be pretty," Mercurio added.

The two candidates have fought with uncharacteristic vitriol most of the months-long election. Trump refers to his opponent as "Crooked Hillary" as though it's her actual name. Clinton has referred to Trump's supporters as "a basket of deplorables." In Wednesday's final debate, one night before the dinner, Trump abruptly interrupted Clinton to call her a "nasty woman." The list of insults traded back and forth could go on for as long as the interminable campaign itself.

The event has historically featured light humor between the two candidates. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama were downright chummy with each other at the 2012 event. Obama referred to Romney going by his middle name, Mitt, and joked he should start going by his — "Hussein." Both men laughed at the joke.

Mercurio says he expects Trump to show up to the formal affair — it costs $25,000 at minimum to attend — with his finest air of dignity. Where it goes from there is anyone's guess.

"He has such a thin skin. When you see him at [White House] Correspondents' Dinners and he’s been teased, he doesn’t seem to take it well," Mercurio said. "All through the campaign he’s been very easily baited. … He’s made such odd comments. I think it will be very difficult to do it with the kind of camaraderie that is usually exhibited at these things."

The event, thrown by the Archdiocese of New York, is a fundraiser for the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Fund, which assists with education, health services and family services for underprivileged children. As is custom, Dolan will sit at the middle of the main table, with Trump and Clinton on either side.

For the Archdiocese's part, they expect business as usual — at least in its official comments.

"The presidential nominees will share the dais with Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and they will deliver the evening’s keynote speeches in the spirit of collegiality and good-humor that has become a hallmark of the gala," said Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for the Archdiocese.

Dolan has his own issues with both candidates. Speaking to reporters after a dinner in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Monday, he called anti-Catholic remarks in leaked Clinton emails "extraordinarily patronizing and insulting to Catholics." Clinton referred to Catholic ideology as "severely backwards" in the leaked emails. Dolan demanded an apology from Clinton, which "hasn't happened yet," he said Monday. If she's going to deliver one, she'll have a chance to do it in person Thursday night.

And yet, it's Trump who has struggled to gain Catholic support throughout the race. A poll released this week by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and The Atlantic found Clinton leading 55 percent to 34 percent among Catholics. Dolan wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post last year calling Trump's anti-immigration comments "problematic." Dolan, Trump and his wife, Melania, met privately with the cardinal last week.

Lead photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr