One day after Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump battle on the debate stage for the final time, they will share the spotlight the Al Smith Dinner in New York.
The white-tie dinner, named after former New York Gov. Alfred E. Smith, who became the first Catholic nominee for president, will provide Trump and Clinton an opportunity to trade jokes in a tradition dating back more than 70 years.
“The presidential nominees will share the dais with Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and they will deliver the evening’s speeches in the spirit of collegiality and good humor that has become a hallmark of the gala,” the Archdiocese of New York said in a statement obtained by the Religion News Service.
Dolan’s decision to invite the major party nominees to the charitable event may court criticism from Catholic critics of Clinton and Trump. In 1996 and 2004, the organizers of the dinner reportedly did not extend invitations to either major party presidential candidate, meaning there would have been precedent for Dolan to abstain from inviting Clinton and Trump.
If Clinton and Trump do headline the event as expected under three weeks before the election, it will likely be their last rendezvous before Election Day. Individual tickets for the event cost $3,000.
