Donald Trump and Melania Trump were all smiles as they made a rare public appearance together at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York City.
The former president and former first lady appeared at the dinner both dressed in black-tie outfits on Thursday night. Trump smiled, raised his fist and shook hands as he made his way to his seat.
The Republican nominee gave the dinner’s keynote speech, making jabs about his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, Mayor Eric Adams’s indictment, Melania’s latest memoir and even his own legal woes.
“These days, it’s really a pleasure anywhere in New York without a subpoena for my appearance,” Trump quipped. “Anytime I don’t get a subpoena, I’m very happy.”
Melania has been notably absent from the campaign trail, making tonight one of her rare public appearances. Over the last year, she has attended only a handful of rallies and events, often avoiding the spotlight while there.
She also broke a long-running tradition by attending but not speaking at the Republican National Convention in July. When Donald spoke on the convention’s last night, it was the last time Melania attended a major public event with her husband.
However, the former first lady has been in the public eye in recent weeks as she promotes her memoir, Melania. In the book, she passionately defends abortion rights despite her husband’s instrumental role in repealing Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision that protected the right to abortion nationwide.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” Melania wrote. “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.”
Trump made his own quips about the memoir: “It just became number one on TheNew York Times list…It’s not an easy thing to do, especially when your name is Trump.”
Harris did not attend the event, instead spending the day campaigning in Wisconsin. She is the first presidential candidate for a major party to skip the event in decades. Harris sent in a pre-recorded video instead, which featured comedian Molly Shannon playing her famous “Superstar” character, Mary Katherine Gallagher.
Trump slammed Harris for her absence during his speech.
“But I must say, I was shocked when I heard that Kamala was skipping the Al Smith dinner,” Trump said. “I’d really hoped that she would come, because we can’t get enough of hearing her beautiful laugh. She laughs like crazy. We would recognize it any place in this room.”
“Instead of attending tonight, she’s in Michigan receiving communion from Gretchen Whitmer,” he added.
Several big-name politicians also attended the charity event.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer both attended, sitting near the former president.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was also in attendance, despite his own legal woes he is under a criminal indictment in an alleged bribery plot.
Robert F Kennedy Jr showed face alongside his wife Cheryl Hines. Kennedy is currently at the center of a scandal with journalist Olivia Nuzzi, who was placed on leave from New York Magazine after disclosing a “personal relationship” with him. Nuzzi denies the relationship was ever physical, and reports soon emerged claiming she and Kennedy had FaceTime sex.
Kennedy, who was running as an independent presidential candidate, suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump earlier this year. The former president shouted out Kennedy during his keynote speech.
“RFK Jr., we love you…He’s a great guy too. He really is. He’s going to make us a healthier place,” Trump said. “We’re going to let him go wild for a little while, then I’m gonna have to maybe reign him back, because he’s got some pretty wild ideas, but most of them are really good.”
Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist who has spread misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, has hinted in recent days that he could play a significant role in American agricultural policy if Trump is elected.
New York Attorney General Letitia James also attended. She famously prosecuted Trump in his New York civil fraud case, which ended with Judge Arthur Engoron handing the former president more than $355 million in fines and barring him from operating any business in New York for three years.
Trump mocked some of those famous attendees during his speech.
“Mayor Adams, I like to poke some fun at Eric, but I’m going to be nice,” Trump said. “I just want to be nice because I know what it’s like to be persecuted by the DOJ for speaking out against open borders.
“We were persecuted, Eric, I was persecuted, and so are you.”
One of Trump’s more pointed jabs came at both the expense of Harris and President Joe Biden.
“We have someone in the White House who can barely talk, barely put together two coherent sentences, who seems to have mental faculties of a child, is a person that has…no intelligence whatsoever — but enough about Kamala Harris,” Trump said.