CNN
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Former President Donald Trump insulted Vice President Kamala Harris’ family on Thursday evening, repeatedly mispronouncing her name and complaining about how poorly he was treated during his presidency, drawing occasional cheers and laughter from a friendly crowd at Al’s charity dinner Smith.

Trump’s monologue at the storied Catholic fundraiser, a New York City venue that traditionally served light roasts by the two major parties’ nominees in the years before the presidential election, came as Harris — who decided last month she would leave the event skip — completed her sixth trip to battleground Wisconsin since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race.

A thousand miles away — storming the critical blue wall states and trying to cement her most favorable path to the White House — she sharpened her attacks on her Republican rival, using his words against him as the race enters its final weeks.

“Sometimes it just becomes more incredible. And now the man calls himself the father of IVF,” Harris said Thursday, recalling Trump’s comment at an all-women town hall. “I mean, what does that even mean?” And she accused Trump of “gaslighting” the American people after calling Jan. 6, 2021, a “day of love” in his Univision town hall earlier this week.

Back in Manhattan, the former president was surrounded by a motley crew of friends, enemies and those who could qualify as both. New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and former first lady Melania Trump flanked Trump, who may have noticed New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully brought a massive civil fraud case against him, looming over his shoulder. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, a major donor, did so too. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg sat, largely expressionless, during the former president’s remarks.

When his time came to speak, Trump offered a few one-liners but mostly stuck to insulting his rivals, arguing that Harris’ absence was “very disrespectful” to Catholics.

Exit polls in 2020 showed Biden – who had become the country’s second Catholic president – ​​finishing with a five-point lead over Trump among Catholic voters. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton four years earlier by about the same margin. Asked about the race in September, Pope Francis said only that Americans must “choose the lesser of two evils.”

As he has done so many times along the way, Trump has discredited the vice president’s intelligence.

“Right now we have someone in the White House who can barely speak, can barely put together two coherent sentences, who appears to have the mental capabilities of a child. There is a person who has nothing to do. No intelligence whatsoever,” Trump said. “But enough about Kamala Harris.”

After ridiculing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for support for transgender rights, Trump took pains to acknowledge that politicians have historically used the event to refrain from self-deprecation .

“No,” he said after a short silence. “I have nothing.”

In his remarks, the former president also doubled down on his support for New York Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted on corruption charges by federal prosecutors last month. After wishing Adams “good luck,” Trump repeated the famous joke that the Justice Department had sued Adams over the mayor’s criticism of the Biden administration’s border policies.

“You’re going to win, I think you’re going to win, I know you’re going to win, so good luck,” Trump told Adams. “Good luck. I don’t like what they’re doing.”

Trump was convicted in New York earlier this year of 34 crimes for falsifying company data. He has pleaded not guilty in three additional criminal cases, which he often claims — without evidence — are political revenge orchestrated by Biden.

Harris did not attend the dinner, which was held remotely in 2020 during the Covid pandemic, but did send a video message to attendees.

“The Gospel of Luke tells us that faith has the power to shine a light on those who live in darkness, and to guide our feet into the path of peace,” Harris said. “And in honor of the great Al Smith, let us fight to build a better future with faith in God, our country and in each other.”

The vice president also performed a skit in her video with comedian Molly Shannon, reprising her role as Saturday Night Live’s Mary Katherine Gallagher, the perpetually overenthusiastic Catholic schoolgirl, who advised Harris not to “say anything negative about the Catholics ” in her video. her comments.

“I would never do that, no matter where I was,” Harris said before delivering her punch line. “That would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit.”

Trump did this last week during a campaign stop in the Motor City, which he compared to a “developing country.”