Donald Trump Gets Booed at Al Smith Dinner After Jabbing Hillary Clinton

The nominees shared the stage the night after the third presidential debate.

ByABC News
October 20, 2016, 10:46 PM

—NEW YORK, NY -- Donald Trump was booed Thursday night at the annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner after delivering a series of jabs at his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, including trying to riff on a controversial remark he made at the latest presidential debate about her being a "nasty woman." Clinton also didn’t play nice, however her jokes appeared to be more well-received by the crowd.

The dinner in New York, to benefit charity, is supposed to be a lighthearted roast where the presidential candidates take jabs at themselves and each other, but the event came just a day after the particularly nasty third presidential debate.

During the debate, the candidates didn't shake hands or acknowledge each other before or after the forum.Trump, who spoke first, tried at first to keep things lighthearted, but quickly turned to harsh criticism of Clinton, who he described as “corrupt.” His remarks drew boos from the crowd, unprecedented in this event event.

“Hillary believes it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy. And a totally different policy in private. That's OK,” he said, to boos from the crowd. “I don't know who they're angry at, Hillary, you or I? For example, here she is tonight in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.”

“Now, if some of you haven't noticed, Hillary isn't laughing as much as the rest of us. That's because she knows the jokes and all of the jokes were given to her in advance of the dinner by Donna Brazile,” he added.

Trump was referring to hacked emails released by WikiLeaks. The emails, which have not been independently verified by ABC News, showed a top aide making a joke about the Catholic Church. Another showed Brazile, the DNC chair, passing along possible town hall questions to the Clinton campaign.

Trump got some of his biggest laughs when he made a joke about his wife's Republican National Convention speech, a small portion of which appeared to be plagiarized from a past Michelle Obama speech.

"I really have to say, the media is even more biased this year than ever before," Trump said. "You want the proof? Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it. It's fantastic. They think she's absolutely great. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case."

Earlier, Trump also joked about the presidential debate Wednesday night where he called Clinton a “nasty woman” -- a comment that drew harsh criticism.

“Last night, I called Hillary ‘a nasty woman.’ But this stuff is all relative,” he said. “After listening to Hillary rattle on and on and on, I don't think so badly of Rosie O'Donnell anymore. In fact I'm actually starting to like Rosie a lot.”

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.

“Donald really is as healthy as a horse. You know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on," she quipped.

Referring to the presidential debates, she joked that she has now stood next to Trump “longer than any of his campaign managers” and commented about his suggestion she should be drug-tested.

“Donald wanted me drug tested before last night's debate,” she said. “And look, I got to tell you, I am so flattered that Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer.”

“Now, actually, I did. It's called preparation,” she added.

Clinton also appeared to take aim at Trump's comments about women. "People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world," she said. "Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 'four.' Maybe a 'five' -- if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."

Despite the harsh words, at the end of the dinner, Clinton and Trump did shake hands.

The night began frostily enough; as the two entered, Clinton dressed in a vibrant pink floor-length gown, Trump in a tuxedo, neither appeared to acknowledge the other, though Clinton shook hands with Trump's wife, Melania. Later in the evening, the two appeared to speak while Cardinal Timothy Dolan sat between them.

The dinner -- a white-tie fundraiser put on by the Catholic Church in honor of former New York governor (and first Catholic governor of the state) Al Smith -- is a longstanding tradition for presidential candidates.

As Al Smith IV -- the great-grandson of the late Al Smith -- introduced the candidates, his playful banter took aim at both of them.

"They have just returned from their third debate and I think they are both grateful for a format in which nobody can interrupt anybody else," Smith said, to laughter.

But Smith appeared to save his harshest jabs for the Republican nominee.

"Donald, even though there's a man sitting next to you in a robe, you're not in a locker room," Smith said, referring to the "Access Hollywood" video of Trump bragging about being able to grope women, which the candidate dismissed as "locker room talk." "So please watch your language," Smith added.

But as they sat down to dinner, Smith reminded the crowd, "Tonight, we're all friends."

Since 1960, when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy spoke, almost all the nominees from the two major parties have attended the event, now celebrating its 71st year. (Bill Clinton, notably, never spoke during either of his two campaigns.)

During the 2012 presidential race, President Obama made a self-depreciating joke about his poor performance during the first debate and mocked then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for his wealth.

“Early today, I went shopping at some stores in Midtown. I understand Gov. Romney went shopping for some stores in Midtown," he quipped during his remarks at the dinner.

Romney took similar shots at Obama and also joked about his Mormon faith.

“Usually when I get invited to gatherings like this," he said, "It’s just to be the designated driver."

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