Talk about an awkward dinner party.
Presidential rivals Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were sitting near — but not next to — each other at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in Manhattan Thursday night.
The dinner was supposed to have a lighter tone than Wednesday’s third and final presidential debate and while the two cracked jokes, there was an undercurrent of tension throughout the night. Here’s a few notable moments from the dinner.
No handshake to start
Just like the night before, the two didn’t shake hands as they entered the room. They appeared not even to make eye contact.
Clinton was introduced first, followed by Trump. The pair were seated with just one seat between them, which was filled by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was tasked with playing peacemaker.
Dolan later called his seat “the iciest place on the planet” but the two ended the night cordially with a handshake.
Also seated on the dais were a host of dignitaries from both the business world and the political arena, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was quietly booed by some in the room when he walked in.
Al Smith IV’s opening jokes
The dinner was opened by its namesake’s descendent, Al Smith IV, who started off strong, comedically speaking.
He reminded Trump to watch his language because he wasn’t in a locker room “even though there’s a man sitting next to you in a robe,” referencing Trump’s sexually crude comment which he played off as “locker room talk.”
He also reminded people that one of the two guests of honour at the dinner would be elected president in less than a month, which he called a “real buzzkill.”
After earning hearty laughs for many of his early jokes, Trump appeared to lose the crowd as he crossed the line from jokes to deeply personal insults aimed at rival Hillary Clinton.
Trump was repeatedly booed when he described Clinton as corrupt and latched onto information contained in hacked emails from her staff. That included a hit on Clinton for “pretending” not to hate Catholics. (The dinner is a Catholic charity event.)
Self-deprecating joke aimed at Melania, not Trump
His biggest laughs came as he talked about Michelle Obama getting rave reviews for a recent speech.
“They think she’s absolutely great. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech and people get on her case,” he said to whoops and laughs.
At the Republican National Convention, where Trump was officially named the nominee for the party, Melania gave a speech for which she was accused of plagiarism since it greatly resembled one that First Lady Michelle Obama gave years earlier. Melania’s speechwriter took the blame for the event.
Clinton on candidates’ health
Clinton, meanwhile, was more self-deprecating than Trump, joking that she’s taken a break from her “usual nap schedule” to attend.
She also discussed her and Trump’s medical records, calling Trump “healthy as a horse – you know the one Vladimir Putin rides on.”
Rudy Giuliani was not impressed
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani was the butt of some of Clinton’s jokes but when the camera cut to him, he merely grimaced.
Viewers took to Twitter and accused him of not having a sense of humour as the festivities continued around him.
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