The grandson of Al Smith, the former New York governor and first major Catholic candidate for president, said Donald Trump’s roast of Hillary Clinton “crossed the line” at Thursday’s annual fundraiser dinner named in honor of his grandfather.
“I’ve been to a lot of dinners … this was one for the record books,” said Alfred E. Smith V on CNN. “Donald [Trump] had some very solid minutes early on and eventually he crossed the line and took it a little too far.”
“Hillary on the other hand was able to laugh at herself and at the same time not underplay any of the serious things that Donald has said or done,” he said.
Both candidates traded barbs at the annual event, which has turned into a good-natured roast of the two major presidential candidates.
Trump began with some well-received self-depreciating remarks before the night took a darker turn after he accused Clinton of “hating Catholics” at the Catholic Charities fundraiser, and of “corruption.”
“Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission,” Trump said to boos. “How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt.”
Clinton joked, “Now just to be clear, I think the Cardinal is saying I’m not eligible for sainthood, but getting through these three debates with Donald has to count as a miracle,” when she took the stage.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who sat just in between the candidates at the dinner, quipped, “Pardon my congestion and cough, I’m afraid I’m coming down with a cold, which is completely understandable given the fact that for the last two hours I’ve had a seat between our two candidates in what’s probably the iciest place on the planet.”
