Former President Trump will attend and address the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner Thursday evening for the bipartisan political event that typically adds a little levity to the campaign trail during each presidential election cycle while raising donations for women and children in need.

This year’s Al Smith Dinner will be a little different than previous years, however, as Vice President Kamala Harris will skip the in-person event and instead send a pre-recorded video that will be broadcast to the public.

“VP Harris will appear via a pre-recorded message,” Archdiocese of New York communications director Joseph Zwilling told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Harris’ criticism of the historic Catholic charity event irritated New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the dinner’s host, on his podcast this week.

HARRIS VIRTUAL ATTENDS CATHOLIC CHARITIES DINNER AT WHICH RIVER TRUMP HEADLINE

Hillary Clinton smiles as Donald Trump speaks during the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on October 20, 2016 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“This year will be uneven because unfortunately Kamala Harris is not coming,” Dolan said on his podcast on Wednesday. “It’s a shame because the nature of the evening is to bring people together. The nature of the evening is civility, patriotism and humor. It’s not a campaign speech. It’s not a campaign stop.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on sending a pre-recorded video message for the event, but did not receive a response. The campaign previously told Fox News that Harris was skipping the event to focus on campaigning in the state of Wisconsin on Thursday.

KAMALA HARRIS PLANS TO SKIP THE HISTORIC AL SMITH DINNER, DESPITE LONG-STANDING TRADITION

Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to speak at “We The People: An Audio Townhall With Kamala Harris and Charlamagne Tha God” on October 15, 2024 in Detroit. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

“The vice president will be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize its time in the battleground states so close to the election. Her team also told organizers that she would “love to attend their event as President. This would make her one of the first sitting presidents to attend,” the campaign said.

This year’s event will instead focus on Trump’s personal remarks, as well as Harris’ video — not the typical speaking schedule that spotlights presidential candidates from both political parties as they lightheartedly poke fun at each other.

TRUMP APPRECIATES Catholic Group’s MULTI-MILLION ANTI-HARRIS CAMPAIGN, WHICH APPEALS TO CHURCH FAITH

The Al Smith Dinner was launched in 1946 and has raised millions of dollars for charities that support women and children. It has since become a political and cultural feature of election seasons. The dinner is named after the first Catholic presidential candidate, Al Smith, who was the 42nd governor of New York. In 1928 he ran for president as a Democrat.

Hillary Clinton speaks with Donald Trump while attending the Al Smith charity dinner on October 20, 2016 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Trump has attended the event every election year since 2016, when he and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exchanged words, drawing roars of laughter and cheers from the crowd.

“It’s great to be here with a thousand wonderful people, or as I call it, a small, intimate dinner with a few friends. Or as Hillary calls it, her largest audience of the season,” Trump joked during his 2016 remarks.

CARDINAL DOLAN ‘RESPONSIBLE’ HARRIS TO SKIP AL SMITH DINNER

“People look at the Statue of Liberty and see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants. A beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald sees the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4. Maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and the tablet and changes her hair,” Clinton joked amid her comments.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan will host this year’s dinner. Gaffigan has notably joined “Saturday Night Live” in recent weeks to play Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, during skits mocking the election cycle.

Special guests from “Saturday Night Live” Dana Carvey, Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan pose backstage on Saturday, September 28, 2024. (Rosalind O’Connor/NBC via Getty Images)

Trump marked his third return to the dinner as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, while also taking a shot at Harris for skipping the event.

MORNING GLORY: WHY IS KAMALA HARRIS SKIPPING THE AL SMITH DINNER IN NEW YORK CITY?

“It will be an honor to attend the SOLD OUT 79TH ANNUAL AL ​​SMITH DINNER on October 17 in New York. It will be wonderful to see so many wonderful people there, including Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. We know the spirit of Al Smith , the first Catholic nominee of a major party, and John F. Kennedy, the FIRST Catholic President, will be in the room with us that evening,” Trump posted on Truth Social last month.

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris (Screenshots/Univision)

“It was a virtual event in 2020, and I was excited to speak with our Catholic friends that day and of course it was a VERY SUCCESSFUL evening in 2016 when we were there in person with Crooked Hillary Clinton. The reviews of my comments were GREAT, but not surprising that Kamala decided not to attend. I don’t know what she has against our Catholic friends, but it must be a lot because she certainly hasn’t been very nice to them. In fact, Catholics are literally being persecuted by this government. Every Catholic who votes for Comrade Kamala Harris should have his head examined,” he added.

The 2020 Al Smith Dinner was held virtually as the pandemic and government-imposed lockdowns upended society. Both Trump and President Biden attended that year’s dinner virtually.

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Dolan said he expects the dinner to raise about $9 million, which will be donated to various charities to help women and children in need as part of the Church’s pro-life mission, according to a news release from the foundation .

This year’s event will be held at the New York Hilton Midtown and will begin at 7 p.m.

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