Kamala Harris performed a bizarre pre-recorded skit with a Saturday Night Live character instead of appearing at Al Smith’s dinner.
The vice president was the first candidate to skip pre-election Catholic fundraising in 40 years, preferring to campaign in the swing state of Wisconsin.
Instead, Harris appeared on screen in a three-and-a-half-minute video with the help of SNL star Molly Shannon as her character Mary Katherine Gallagher.
The parody divided viewers, causing even some of his followers to cringe and Republicans to scorn, but others laughed at the jokes.
Kamala Harris skipped Al Smith’s dinner but sent in a three-and-a-half-minute video with the help of SNL star Molly Shannon as her character Mary Katherine Gallagher.
The vice president began speaking seriously, calling the dinner “a rare opportunity to put partisanship aside” before Gallagher interrupted her.
Dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl, she nervously shook hands with Harris, who explained that he was recording her speech.
“Oh yeah, I know, I just want to say that I’m Catholic and tonight is one of the most important meals after the Last Supper,” Gallagher said.
Harris agreed: “It’s a very important dinner and it’s an important tradition that I’m very proud to be a part of.”
He asked Gallagher if he had any advice for his speech, creating opportunities for jokes at Donald Trump’s expense.
‘Don’t lie. ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness to thy neighbour,’ Gallagher suggested.
“In fact, especially your neighbor’s election results,” Harris responded, mocking Trump’s continued insistence that the 2020 election, which he lost, was “stolen.”
Harris skipped the Al Smith dinner and instead held a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin (pictured at the rally), a swing state rather than solidly Democratic-voting New York.
Donald Trump gave his speech in person and spent most of the time insulting Harris
“Just so you know, there will be a fact checker there tonight,” Gallagher warned, referring to Trump’s running mate JD Vance getting testy because moderators criticized him during his debate with Tim Walz.
Kamala Harris asked: ‘Who?’ to which Gallagher joked: “Jesus.”
Gallagher also suggested that Harris not mock Catholics at his own dinner.
“I would never do that, no matter where I was. “That would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit,” Harris responded.
This jab was aimed at Trump insulting Detroit during a rally last week while he was in Detroit.
“It will be like Detroit. Our entire country will end up being like Detroit if she is your president. You’re going to have a mess on your hands,’ he said.
Gallagher then asked: ‘Does it bother you that that Trump guy insults you all the time?’ as he would do a few minutes later.
‘Oh, Mary Catherine, it is very important to always remember: you must never allow anyone to tell you who you are. Tell them who you are,” Harris responded.
The pair then made some obvious Taylor Swift references.
‘Thank you, Mamala,’ Gallagher shouted on his way to the screen.
“Remember one more thing: Don’t worry if you make a mistake, because Catholics are very forgiving,” Gallagher said in a final piece of advice as she was finally dragged away by an attendant.
“Thank you Mamala,” he shouted on his way to the screen.
Harris finally began her actual speech two minutes and 15 seconds into the video, leaving just over a minute of her solo.
The vice president reiterated her call for bipartisanship and then praised the “tremendous charitable work of the Catholic Church.”
“In the spirit of tonight’s dinner, let us recommit to overcoming divisions to seek understanding and common ground,” he said.
“And in honor of the great Al Smith, let us fight to build a better future with faith in God, our country and each other.”
Harris’ critics and even some of her supporters were unimpressed by the video: “I thought the campaign couldn’t get any worse, and then I saw this,” one viewer wrote online.
The vice president began speaking seriously, calling the dinner “a unique opportunity to put partisanship aside” before Gallagher interrupted her.
“Remember one more thing: Don’t worry if you make a mistake, because Catholics are very forgiving,” Gallagher said in a final piece of advice as she was finally dragged away by an attendant.
Another added: ‘Your “funny” choice to have Molly Shannon play the most disgusting character ever on SNL surprised me! It is NOT fun or appropriate for that event. Kamala’s trial is horrible. “It was pathetic.”
A third wrote: ‘Kamala Harris has no sense of humour. He phoned it because there was no way he could have made it.
Another viewer, who described himself as a Trump supporter, noted that Harris received help presenting the video, as opposed to her giving the speech.
“It amazes me how Kamala needed someone else as a crutch to make a simple video for Al Smith’s charity dinner,” they wrote.
Former Trump adviser Jason Miller said Harris’ video was “historically bad” and Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt called it a “mail effort” that was “legitimately embarrassing.”
Popular author John Pavlovitz was more complimentary.
‘Wow, this video of Kamala and Molly Shannon made for the Al Smith dinner is gold!’ he wrote.
Another added: ‘I can’t love this more. Molly Shannon has always been so funny, but add Kamala Harris to that and they’re superstars!’
A third gushed: “Molly Shannon is a comedic genius and Kamala Harris playing her off so easily is SO difficult and she does it so naturally.” Wonderful scene.’
Harris received loud boos from the Al Smith dinner audience when host Jim Gaffigan announced he would not be there in person.
Gaffigan then criticized Harris for not showing up, before giving way to Trump for his speech.
“This is a room full of Catholics and Jews in New York, this should be a layup for the Democratic candidate,” he joked.
“In his defense, he found time to appear on The View, Howard Stern, Colbert and the longtime campaign staple: the Call Her Daddy podcast.”
Gaffigan also made an impromptu joke about Harris’ video.
“As I watch that I can’t help but think about it, now I know how my kids felt when I FaceTimed a piano recital they were at,” she said.