Trump and Harris trade jabs at Al Smith Dinner, though Harris wasn’t there
(NEW YORK) — A presidential election tradition dating back to 1960 brought some laughs in New York City on Thursday night, but for the first time in 40 years, only one candidate will be on the dias.
Former President Donald Trump spoke at the New York Archdiocese’s annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the New York Hilton, where he was joined by his wife Melania Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris announced last month that she could not attend due to a conflicting campaign event but appeared at the dinner in a video.
“She is going to be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election,” a campaign official told ABC News on Sept. 23.
The vice president campaigned in Wisconsin on Thursday.
Trump alternated between making jokes about Harris and some of the other attendees and the regular lines that he uses while campaigning, but he did acknowledged the event’s tradition of self-deprecating jokes and said one was coming before admitting, “Ah, I got nothing.”
Harris appeared in her video with “Saturday Night Live” character Mary Katherine Gallagher, played by Molly Shannon as an awkward Catholic school girl who dreams of being a superstar.
Harris asked Mary Katherine for advice on how to address the Catholic gathering.
“Is there anything that you think that maybe I shouldn’t bring up tonight?”
“Um, well, don’t lie,” Mary Katherine replied. “Thou shalt not bear false witness to thy neighbor.”
“Indeed, especially thy neighbor’s election results,” Harris said.
Trump chastised Harris in a Truth Social post before the event for not showing up.
“They didn’t give me the option of a video message, nor would I have done it. This is very disrespectful to everyone involved,” he said adding that Harris should lose the Catholic vote over this.
After Harris’ video played, Trump repeated that sentiment.
“It’s been a long tradition for both Democrat and Republican candidates for president of the United States to attend this dinner. Always. It’s a rule. Otherwise, bad things are going to happen to you from up there,” he said. “You can’t do what I just saw on that screen. But, my opponent feels like she does not have to be here, which is deeply disrespectful to the event and in particular, to our great Catholic community. Very disrespectful.”
Later, mentioning the charity behind the dinner, Trump took another shot at Harris, saying, “I guess you should have told her the funds were going to bail out the looters and rioters in Minneapolis, and she would have been here, guaranteed.”
Since 1960, the black-tie event has hosted both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates and allowed them to “share self-deprecating humor” and raise money for the archdiocese’s charitable organizations.
It is named in honor of Alfred E. Smith, the former New York governor who was the first Catholic to be nominated to a major party’s presidential ticket.
The last time a presidential candidate could not attend the dinner was in 1984, when Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale bowed out.
The event was emceed by comedian Jim Gaffigan, who currently plays Gov. Tim Walz on “Saturday Night Live.”
Trump confirmed his attendance in a Truth Social post on Sept. 23, not long after Harris’ campaign announced she would not show up.
“It’s sad, but not surprising, that Kamala has decided not to attend,” he said in the post.
In the same post, Trump accused Harris of being anti-Catholic and repeated past claims, without evidence, that the administration was persecuting Catholics. President Joe Biden is the second Catholic president in American history and attends mass weekly.
In the past, the presidential candidates have roasted each other and appeared to be in good spirits throughout the night. However, things were different in 2016, the last time both of the presidential candidates attended the event in person.
Trump was booed during his 2016 Al Smith dinner speech for repeatedly attacking Sec. of State Hilary Clinton.
During Clinton’s remarks, the Democratic nominee made some self-deprecating jokes about her stamina and paid speeches, before turning her attention to Trump, where she jabbed him on everything from his temperament to his ties to Russia.
Trump did not laugh or appear to be amused by his opponent’s jokes.
ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
(CHICAGO) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will take the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday to formally accept the vice presidential nomination and deliver a keynote speech.
Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Walz to be her running mate earlier this month, just a couple weeks after she became the presumptive Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden’s exit.
Walz, 60, gained traction during the veepstakes with his folksy mannerisms and viral comments advocating for the Democratic Party’s agenda and critiquing former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance. But nationally, he was a relatively unknown figure.
“When Harris announced that Tim Walz was running for vice president, I had absolutely no clue who this man was,” said Valerie Jencks, a moderate Democrat from Illinois who is supporting the Harris-Walz ticket.
Jencks and other local voters sat down with ABC News at Chicago’s Green Door Tavern to discuss the 2024 election.
Jencks said she was “personally relieved” that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was not selected because she’d like him to remain in his position leading the state, and said she was a strong supporter of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the veepstakes.
Still, she said she thought Walz was “a breath of fresh air.”
“He is knowledgeable about the issues. He has a very strong record, and he’s very personable and authentic,” Jencks said of Walz. “I feel like he really understands the issues of the everyday American.”
Last month, Trump announced Vance would be his running mate during the first day of the Republican National Convention.
Vance, a 39-year-old first-term senator from Ohio, has become a staunch ideological ally of the former president who rose to fame due to his memoir Hillbilly Elegy. But he was also not a big name in politics until he began to emerge as a top contender to join Trump on the ballot.
David Spada, a conservative Republican, said he was surprised by Trump’s pick and thought he would have picked a more moderate Republican such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
“He probably should have picked someone more towards the middle, rather than more towards the right, which I think might hurt him,” Spada said. “But again, you never know what Trump’s gonna do. He just does what he wants.”
A recent ABC News poll found Walz was getting a more positive public reception than his Republican counterpart in the initial rollout of their candidacies.
Thirty-nine percent of Americans surveyed had a favorable impression of Walz as a person, while 30% viewed him unfavorably. Vance, meanwhile, was viewed unfavorably by 42% of respondents compared to 32% who viewed him favorably. Though a sizable portion of respondents said they had no opinion of either candidate (31% in Walz’s case and 26% in Vance’s case).
(CHICAGO) — The venues may have changed, and the planning and special events may have gotten splashier with younger VIPs, but for more than 40 years, there has been one constant at Democratic Party conventions: Bill Clinton.
The former president, who just turned 78, is scheduled to speak ahead of Gov. Tim Walz at Wednesday night’s gathering, marking his 13th time making remarks at the event.
Clinton’s address will be hopeful and aspirational, according to a source familiar with its contents.
The source also said it will include fiery, newsworthy jabs aimed at former President Donald Trump and will highlight the qualities that make for a responsible, qualified commander in chief in the nation’s highest office.
His speech is expected to highlight the striking differences in vision, experience and temperament between Harris and Trump, the source said, underscoring the vice president’s story and what her candidacy means for the nation.
Wednesday’s speech is his 13th
His timeline at the conventions showcased his rise through the party ranks to the top of the Democratic ticket and being enshrined as one of its most prominent historical figures.
After giving a brief speech at the 1976 convention, where he talked about the legacy of former President Harry Truman, Clinton was invited to speak at the 1980 convention when he was freshman governor of Arkansas.
The 33-year-old gave a brief speech, talking about his upbringing in Hope, Arkansas, and the dreams for his then 6-month-old daughter Chelsea.
Between that convention and the next, Clinton had lost one gubernatorial reelection and won another, earning the nickname “the comeback kid.” Speaking at the 1984 convention, representing the New Democrats movement, Clinton invoked Harry Truman in his pitch to the Democrats.
“He began the Democratic Party’s historic commitment to civil rights and brought the United States into peacetime cooperation with other nations,” he said.
Clinton was given a major speaking slot at the 1988 DNC with a primetime speech ahead of the nomination of Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.
The speech turned out to be memorable but in the wrong way. Clinton spoke for 35 minutes, much longer than his planned 15, boring the crowd.
In fact, one of the loudest responses came at the end when Clinton told the crowd, “In closing.”
He would get a different reception four years later at the DNC at New York’s Madison Square Garden when he accepted the party’s nomination for president.
‘The Man from Hope’
Before his speech, an autobiographical video was played titled “The Man from Hope,” a theme that Clinton emphasized in a 53-minute speech.
“I still believe in a place called Hope,” he told the roaring crowd.
During his speech at the 1996 DNC, Clinton flipped the message of his Republican opponent Sen. Bob Dole, who campaigned on the idea of being a bridge to the past.
“Let us resolve to build a bridge to the 21st century,” he said.
Clinton’s next appearance at the DNC came after rough four years at the White House. He became the second president to be impeached on perjury and obstruction of justice charges following an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The Senate later acquitted him on those charges.
Clinton entered the Staples Arena during the 2000 DNC with a camera following his path to the podium while the arena’s screen displayed his administration’s successes such as the first budget surplus in decades and declines in crime.
“My fellow Americans, the future of our country is now in your hands,” he said. “And remember, whenever you think about me, keep putting people first.”
In 2004, Clinton told Democratic delegates that he came as a “foot soldier” to help elect Sen. John Kerry.
He reminded the nation that was in the midst of two wars in the Middle East following the Sept. 11 attacks of more peaceful times.
When Hillary Clinton ran against Barack Obama
In 2008, Clinton began the campaign season championing Sen. Hillary Clinton in her bid for the Democratic nominee, even taking jabs at her competitor then Sen. Barack Obama.
Clinton showed no animosity towards Obama during his speech at the 2008 DNC.
“Senator Obama’s life is a 21st century incarnation of the old-fashioned American dream. His achievements are proof of our continuing progress toward the more perfect union of our founders’ dreams,” he said.
Clinton would repeat this sentiment during his remarks four years later.
In 2016, Clinton took the DNC stage in another new role as the spouse of the Democratic presidential candidate. In his speech, he talked about their relationship and her resolve to help Americans.
“But for this time, Hillary is uniquely qualified to seize the opportunities and reduce the risks we face. And she is still the best darn change-maker I have ever known,” he said.
Like other speakers, Clinton’s appearance at the 2020 DNC was done virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In just video message recorded from his Chappaqua, New York home, Clinton reassured voters that former Vice President Joe Biden was the best candidate to lead America back.
“It’s Trump’s “Us vs. Them” America against Joe Biden’s America, where we all live and work together. It’s a clear choice. And the future of our country is riding on it,” he said.
ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — While polling sites around the country are gearing up for huge voter turnout on Election Day, data and experts predict that a majority of the votes that will decide this year’s key races will be cast months before.
In fact, many of those votes could be cast in the next few weeks.
Analysts who have been studying early-voting trends say mail-in balloting and voting done at early opening polling sites will not only be a crucial indicator for this year’s races, but also future voting methods adopted by the country.
Early in-person voting options are available for almost all registered voters in 47 states with some allowing voters to cast their ballot as early as September, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which tracks election laws across the country.
Michael McDonald, a professor of political science at the University of Florida who helps run the school’s election lab, told ABC News that early voting exploded during the 2020 election and its effectiveness has reshaped the way the electorate and campaigns navigate the election.
“People find it easier to navigate and return the ballot at their convenience and it gives them more chances. They’re more likely to cast a ballot with those options,” he said.
How and where voters can cast a ballot early
In addition to offering voters a chance to cast their ballot through the mail, many states offer voters two ways of casting a ballot in person: either dropping off their absentee ballot at an election office or site, known as in-person absentee voting; or at a polling machine polling place that is open prior to Election Day.
As of 2024, 22 states offer all voters who vote via absentee the option to turn in their ballot in person early, according to NCSL data.
Alabama and New Hampshire offer no in-person early voting options — something the state’s election officials have not opted to do. Mississippi only offers in-person absentee to voters who meet specific criteria such as a physical disability, or proof that they will not be in the state on Election Day, such as military members.
Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia give voters both in-person absentee and early in-person poll site options, NCSL data shows.
Eight states — California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Vermont and Hawaii — and D.C. have adopted all-mail ballots and allow voters to cast their ballots in person before Election Day. With this process, states mail ballots to all registered voters and they can send it back, drop it off in-person absentee or ballot box, or simply choose to vote in a polling site either early or on Election Day.
Some election offices will offer voters a chance to submit their paper ballots in person as early as mid-September.
In Pennsylvania, some voters may be able to cast absentee ballots in person at their county’s executive office starting Sept. 16, which is the date for when counties must begin processing applications for mail-in or absentee ballots. The Pennsylvania Department of State told ABC News, however, that counties might not necessarily have the ballots ready by that date.
Rise in popularity
Charles Stewart, the director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s election data science lab, told ABC News that voting data has shown a gradual increase in votes cast before Election Day over nearly three decades.
In fact, during the 2020 election, more than 69% of votes cast in the election were done through either mail-in ballots or early in-person voting, according to election data. By comparison, only 40% voted early in the 2016 election and 33% in the 2012 election, the data showed.
The data did not indicate how many mail ballots were turned in person.
Stewart noted that the pandemic was a factor behind the 2020 surge in early voting, and even though there was a decrease in early voting numbers during the 2022 midterms, there was still a jump in the number of people who cast their ballots either through the mail or at an early-voting site compared to previous midterms.
“If you extend the trend line and extend it to 2022, there is only a little bit more voting by mail,” he said. “That tells me that voters have, on aggregate, returned to patterns we saw before 2020, which is that of a slowly growing reliance on convenience voting methods.”
The extra convenience isn’t the only incentive that is moving more voters to early voting, particularly mail-in ballots, according to Stewart.
Stewart said that several studies that have been published about voting behaviors have shown that voters who cast their ballot through the mail are thinking about their choices “more deeply and thoroughly.”
“I heard it from a voter the other day who said they appreciate being able to lay the ballot on the table and do the research on the issues and the candidates,” he said.
The enthusiasm has also had ripple effects, according to research conducted by McDonald.
McDonald said that data has shown that the states that opted to give all registered voters their ballot in the mail, such as Colorado, Washington and Oregon, saw the highest turnout rates in the country in 2020.
“In the early states that opted [into] mail balloting, places like Oregon and Washington, they’ve done satisfaction surveys and voters there love it, both Democrats and Republicans,” he said.
A boon for voters, election offices and campaigns
Election experts said that 2020’s jump in early voting helped to decrease long lines on Election Day at a time when the pandemic required smaller indoor crowds and social distancing.
Even though the need to decrease crowds has lessened, McDonald stressed there is still a need for “safety valves” when it comes to Election Day lines.
“It means if someone has a problem … and they try to catch their problem earlier, they have more time to rectify that problem,” he said, citing examples such as an error on their form or improper voter ID.
McDonald also cited the sudden snowstorm that hit northern Arizona in November 2022 as a major obstacle that voters and election offices faced when it came to Election Day voting.
“These are the things that can happen and campaigns kind of know they shouldn’t rely too much on Election Day because there could be things that go wrong,” he said.
Christopher Mann, the research director for the non-profit group, The Center for Election Innovation & Research, told ABC News that early voting also gives election office teams, many of whom are understaffed and underfunded, extra time to handle the large number of ballots that come through during presidential cycles.
“They can move more people around during those early weeks, especially on the weekends,” he said.
At the same time, early voting has reshaped how campaigns are conducted.
Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden pushed for their debates to take place prior to October because of early voting. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are scheduled to debate on Sept. 10 on ABC News.
Aside from the campaign trail, McDonald said that early voting also affects the campaign staffers on the ground who receive voter information from election offices.
“Then the campaigns can say, ‘OK this voter already voted, I don’t need to call them or mail them something. I can scratch them off the list,” he said.
Trump’s false claims on early voting shift dynamics
In both the 2020 election and in this year’s contest, Trump has been vocal about his distrust in early voting, falsely claiming it is not secure and pushed for only voting on Election Day.
Despite appearing in a video at the Republican National Convention encouraging Republicans to vote by mail or early if available, Trump has been criticizing early voting at his events.
“We should have one-day voting. We should have paper ballots, we should have voter ID, and we should have proof of citizenship,” he told reporters at a news conference last month.
McDonald said Trump’s rhetoric led to a major shift in the 2020 election as the number of Republicans who voted by mail dropped compared to Democrats. Prior to 2020, more Republicans cast their vote in the mail, according to McDonald.
“We can see that those patterns really haven’t restored themselves [to] pre-pandemic,” he said.
The election experts stressed that there is no evidence of fraud when it comes to mail-in ballots and, in fact, showed there is no correlation between the number of early votes cast and the outcome of the election.
“If you look at states where half of the ballots were issued before Election Day, Trump won half of that vote,” Mann said.
The experts say the election data is showing an upward trend of more voters opting to vote early versus on Election Day, with mail-in voting seeing the biggest increases, and they predict more states will expand those early voting offerings.
Stewart noted that the momentum is still there as several states failed to pass measures in the last four years that would have restricted early-voting options, specifically ending pandemic-era rules that allowed for no-excuse absentee.
Ultimately, Stewart contended that giving voters as many options to safely and properly cast their ballot leads not only to more convenience, but a stronger electorate.
“I would encourage voters to think about their own lives, their own habits, their own values and choose their mode that is keeping with all of those things,” he said.