No Laughing Matter: Critics Slam Al Smith Dinner For Normalizing ‘Deranged Madman’ Trump

Critics condemned the appearance of Donald Trump at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York on Thursday, saying it “normalized” the GOP presidential nominee’s divisive and hateful rhetoric.

The former president spoke for 30 minutes at the bipartisan white-tie dinner, which this year was emceed by comedian Jim Gaffigan and is usually known for the lighthearted jabs by and at the politicians in attendance.

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris did not attend in person and instead appeared via a prerecorded video message as she campaigned in Wisconsin.

Gaffigan, who has portrayed Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz on “Saturday Night Live,” faced accusations on X, formerly Twitter, of legitimizing Trump. Other commentators thought the shindig, during which guests laughed at Trump’s jokes, validated and reinforced his toxic ideologies.