Hillary Clinton pokes fun at Donald Trump — and herself — during Al Smith Dinner
No one was safe during Hillary Clinton's remarks at the Al Smith Dinner on Thursday night — she took shots at Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Rudy Giuliani, and even herself.
Clinton spoke after Trump, who was ultimately booed after making a joke about Clinton hating Catholics. She first made a self-deprecating jab, saying she took a break from her "rigorous nap schedule" to be there, adding, "it's a treat for all of you to be here because usually I charge a lot for speeches like this." She quickly changed gears and started going after Trump, saying she was amazed he gave up the microphone in a "peaceful transition of power," adding, "after listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it." Clinton went on to announce that former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg was in the audience, quipping, "It's a shame he's not speaking tonight, I'm curious to hear what a billionaire has to say," and brought up the Statue of Liberty, saying that when Trump looks at her, "he sees a 4, maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."
While Trump laughed throughout her bit, one person remained stone-faced: Rudy "Chuckles" Giuliani. After dissing the Trump surrogate while saying the names of honorable guests in attendance, Clinton mentioned that "Rudy actually got his start as a prosecutor, going after wealthy New Yorkers who avoided paying taxes. But as the saying goes, 'If you can't beat 'em, go on Fox News and call 'em a genius.'" The smoke could almost be seen coming out of his ears. He wasn't the only Republican she slammed — before ending her speech with a call for tolerance, she got in one more dig: "Tonight, let's embrace the spirit of the evening. Let's come together, remember what unites us, and just rip on Ted Cruz." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia
The Week
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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