If the ability to make people laugh counted in the election, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump would be defeated. At least that is what can be inferred from the embarrassing performance of both in a traditional event on the electoral calendar that became known for being a kind of comic relief in this final stretch.
The tense political moment and the growing aggressiveness of the campaigns are not without their share of blame for the discomfort caused by many of the jokes.
The dinner was hosted by the Catholic organization Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation in New York, on Thursday night (17). Presidential candidates have participated in the event for years, making jokes about themselves and their opponents.
Kamala broke tradition this year by sending a pre-recorded video — the first time a Democrat has skipped, leaving his opponent alone, since Walter Mondale in 1984. He was defeated by Ronald Reagan. In 1992, 1996 and 2004, neither side participated.
The absence was exploited by Trump. “Catholics, you have to vote for me. Remember: I’m here, she’s not,” he said. “If you wanted Harris to accept your invitation, you should have told her that the funds would go to rescuing protesters and looters in Minneapolis,” in a reference to the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.
“If the Democrats really wanted anyone not to be with us tonight, they would have just sent Joe Biden,” he declared.
In a rare joke about himself, he said that, “These days, it really is a pleasure to be anywhere in New York without a summons for my presence.”
Although the audience laughed and applauded at times, the general reaction was one of discomfort or even booing.
One of these moments was an allusion made by the former president to an extramarital affair by Doug Emhoff, Kamala’s husband, during his first marriage. “The only advice I would give her (Kamala), if she wins, is to not let her husband, Doug, anywhere near the babysitters,” she said. Then, seeing the bad reaction, he added: “That’s mean. I told those idiots who gave me this material that this is too heavy.”
The Republican repeated attacks on his opponent’s intelligence, as he does in rallies and interviews, but this time trying to give a veneer of humor. Trump also made transphobic jokes at Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kamala’s running mate Tim Walz.
Kamala didn’t provoke a better reaction from the audience either, despite appearing in the video with comedian Molly Shannon, who played a Catholic school student (one of the characters she played in her time on the program Saturday Night Live).
One of the few inspired moments was when, upon hearing Shannon’s advice to “not bear false witness against your neighbor”, the Democrat replied: “especially the results of your neighbor’s elections”.
Kamala also said she wouldn’t make fun of Catholics at a Catholic event because that would be like making fun of Detroit — in the key state of Michigan — in Detroit. It was an allusion to Trump saying last week that if he loses, the entire US will end up like Detroit. The statement was made during an interview with the Detroit Economic Club.
Presenter of the event, comedian Jim Gaffigan summarized the public’s reaction after the video ended. “As I watched this, I couldn’t help but think: Now I know how my kids felt when I video-walked into a piano recital they were at.”
The actor, who plays Kamala’s deputy on SNL, illustrated the strange moment the country finds itself in, less than three weeks before the election.
“There’s a group that perplexes me. And I think it perplexes almost everyone in this country. I’m talking about undecided voters. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? You don’t know who you’re going to vote for?” “You don’t see the difference between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Like, no one ever thought, ‘Wait, is that a Trump quote or a Harris quote?'”
