Trump will headline Al Smith's charity dinner while Harris will send a pre-recorded video message

Former President Trump will attend and speak at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation's 79th Annual Dinner on Thursday evening. It is a non-partisan political event that typically brings a little lightness to the campaign during each presidential election cycle while raising funds for women and children in need.

However, this year's Al Smith Dinner will be a little different than previous years as Vice President Kamala Harris is foregoing the in-person event and instead will broadcast a pre-recorded video to the audience.

“VP Harris will appear via a prerecorded message,” Archdiocese of New York communications director Joseph Zwilling told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Harris' snub of the historic Catholic charity event angered New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the dinner's host, on his podcast this week.

HARRIS virtually attends Catholic charity dinner headlined by rival Trump

Hillary Clinton laughs as Donald Trump speaks during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation's annual dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on October 20, 2016 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“It's going to be unbalanced this year because, unfortunately, Kamala Harris isn't coming,” Dolan said on his podcast Wednesday. “It's a shame because the nature of the evening is to bring people together. The nature of the evening is one of politeness, patriotism and humor. It's not a campaign speech. It’s not a campaign stop.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment about sending a pre-recorded video message for the event, but did not receive a response. The campaign previously told Fox News that Harris skipped the event to focus on campaigning in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Thursday.

KAMALA HARRIS plans to skip the historic Al Smith dinner despite a long-standing tradition

Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to speak at “We The People: An Audio Townhall With Kamala Harris and Charlamagne Tha God” on October 15, 2024 in Detroit. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

“The vice president will be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time on the battlefield so close to the election. Her team also told organizers that she would be happy to attend their event.” “This would make her one of the first sitting presidents to attend,” the campaign said.

This year's event will instead focus on Trump's personal statements as well as Harris' video – not the typical speaker schedule that spotlights presidential candidates from both political parties as they throw light-hearted jabs at each other.

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The Al Smith Dinner was founded in 1946 and has raised millions of dollars for charities that support women and children. Since then, it has become a political and cultural hallmark of election season. The dinner is named after the first Catholic presidential candidate, Al Smith, who served as the 42nd Governor of New York. He ran for president in 1928 as a Democrat.

Hillary Clinton speaks with Donald Trump while attending the Al Smith Charity Dinner on October 20, 2016 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Trump has attended the event every election year since 2016, when he and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exchanged remarks that drew raucous laughter and some jeers from the crowd.

“It's great to be here with a thousand wonderful people, or as I call it, a small, intimate dinner with a few friends. Or, as Hillary calls it, with her biggest audience of the season,” Trump quipped during his 2016 speech.

CARDINAL DOLAN 'ANGRY' HARRIS CANCELED AL SMITH DINNER

“People look at the Statue of Liberty and see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants. A beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald sees the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4. Maybe a 5 if she loses.” “She takes the flashlight and the tablet and changes her hair,” Clinton joked during her remarks.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan will host this year's dinner. Gaffigan has notably joined “Saturday Night Live” in recent weeks to play the role of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' running mate, in skits that lampoon the election cycle.

“Saturday Night Live” special guests Dana Carvey, Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan pose backstage on Saturday, September 28, 2024. (Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images)

Trump marked his third return to the dinner as the GOP presidential nominee while also criticizing Harris for not attending the event.

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“It will be an honor to attend the SOLD OUT 79TH AL SMITH DINNER in New York on October 17th. It will be great to see so many wonderful people there, including Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. We know the spirit of Al Smith, “The first major-party Catholic candidate and John F. Kennedy, the FIRST Catholic president, will be in the room with us this evening,” Trump posted on Truth Social last month.

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris (Screenshots/Univision)

“It was a virtual event in 2020 and I was happy to speak to our Catholic friends that day, and of course it was a hugely successful evening in 2016 when we were there in person with crooked Hillary Clinton. The reviews of my remarks It is sad, but not surprising, that Kamala chose not to attend. I don't know what she has against our Catholic friends, because she certainly wasn't very nice to them. “In fact, Catholics are literally being persecuted by this government,” he added.

The 2020 Al Smith Dinner took place virtually as the pandemic and government-imposed lockdowns turned society upside down. Both Trump and President Biden attended this year's dinner virtually.

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According to a press release from the foundation, Dolan said he expects the dinner to raise about $9 million, which will be donated to various charities to help women and children in need as part of the church's pro-life mission .

This year's event will be held at the New York Hilton Midtown and will begin at 7:00 p.m.

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