Donald Trump takes center stage at Al Smith dinner to skewer Democrats and criticizes Kamala Harris for not attending the event

Donald Trump took the spotlight all to himself at the Al Smith Dinner as he joked about immigrants, transgender Americans and his political rivals at the event, an election year tradition.

Standing at the lectern with Chuck Schumer next to him, Trump said the Senate majority leader “looked very dejected.” But look on the bright side, Chuck. Considering how woke your party has become, if Kamala loses, you still have a chance to become the first female president.”

Another: “I used to think Democrats were crazy for saying men had periods.” But then I met Tim Walz.”

Trump again mispronounced Harris' first name and criticized Harris for not attending the dinner, where candidates from both major parties have in the past taken a break from campaigning for an evening of insouciance.

Harris, who was campaigning in Wisconsin today, instead sent a video greeting and a skit with Molly Shannon reprising her Mary Katherine Gallagher character Saturday Night Live.

The event is a benefit for the Alfred E. Smith Foundation, named after the first Catholic candidate for a major party's presidential nomination in 2028, Al Smith. The event attracts a large turnout of Catholic politicians and media representatives, with Cardinal Timothy Dolan presiding over the evening events.

Trump said of Harris: “My opponent feels like she doesn't need to be here, which is deeply disrespectful to the event and especially to our great Catholic community. “Very disrespectful.”

When both candidates were present, their comedy bits tended to be heavy on self-irony. But when Trump was in attendance with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, he ended his remarks with a series of campaign-style attacks. Some in the audience booed him, telling him to break with the traditional tone of the evening.

This year, Trump quipped, “Tradition says I'm supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes tonight.” So here it is. No. I have nothing.”

The audience laughed and cheered.

He then quipped, referring to the assassination attempts against him, “I guess I don't see the point in shooting myself when other people have been shooting at me for a while.”

Trump also made a joke about the evening's host, Jim Gaffigan, who plays Tim Walz Saturday Night Live this season. “It will be a very short appearance, I hope, Jim. But it was fun while it lasted.”

Trump also joked that his campaign was focused on the border and migrants. “Mayor (Eric) Adams told me earlier that I need to do this particularly quickly. The city has reserved this space for a large group of illegal immigrants from Texas.”

Trump also joked about the charges against Adams, referencing his own criminal charges. “Good luck with everything. They left after noon… Nine and a half months ago I said, “He just said something bad about the administration.” He's going to be impeached any minute. And guess what happened?”

“But you will win. I think so,” Trump added.

Some of Trump's jokes were met with awkward silence as he joked about “Barack Hussein Obama” and then complained about “fake news.”

During his remarks, Gaffigan took some harsh comments about Trump, who dated former first lady Melania Trump and made a rare public appearance with him. “During the first and only debate, President Trump talked about migrants taking and eating cats. If you're keeping track at home, this is the second time cat-snatching has been part of a campaign theme.” That joke drew some groans. “I wanted to leave that out,” Gaffigan admitted.