As right-wing social media accounts celebrated former President Donald Trump's performance at the annual Al Smith dinner, critics blasted what they felt looked like a chummy evening that only served to normalize a "racist" convicted felon and adjudicated rapist who has been accused of fraud, election interference and inciting a riot against his own government.
Trump delivered a 30-minute speech at the dinner — Vice President Kamala Harris skipped the event but submitted a pre-recorded video — eight years after he earned jeers for attacking then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. During his speech, Trump jabbed Mayor Eric Adams over his recent indictment, then extended an olive branch, saying "You're going to be ok."
He also took a swipe at Senate Majority Chuck Schumer and joked that Schumer could become the "first woman president," but again tried to mend fences by appearing to acknowledge Schumer was a "good guy."
The light-hearted feeling of the evening didn't sit well with Trump critics, who demanded to know why it seemed to feel like any other Al Smith dinner with so much at stake in the election.
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"This convicted felon, racist, rapist, business fraud motherfucker golfed while our loved ones died, incited an attack against our government and promises to send OUR troops to arrest half the people in that damn room cuz he can.And they’re all acting as if this is normal?WTAF," exclaimed popular left-wing X account @JoJoFromJerz.
She later added: "Remember back in the olden days when we worried about how the election would turn out and not about how there might not ever be another election? Yeah, that was fun."
"He's a racist and an Islamophobe," former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan wrote in response to a clip of Trump saying Barack Hussein Obama.
"He is a convicted criminal who tried to end American democracy and an adjudicated sexual abuser (rapist)," wrote S.V. Dáte, senior White House correspondent for HuffPost. "And he has just been insulting people so far. After insulting Bill de Blasio, he said he didn't 'give a s---' if people didn't like it."
"The only thing missing here is Trump saying his pronouns are Kiss/My/A--," said Justin Baragona in response to the clip of Trump telling Schumer he could become the first female president if Harris loses.
"WHY ARE WE NORMALIZING A MADMAN?" questioned @MaTTFLaMMaBLe, another popular left-wing account.
He criticized comedian Jim Gaffigan for emceeing the event.
"I’m a big @JimGaffigan fan, but sometimes a job just ain’t worth the money, and I’m sad that he helped normalize a wannabe fascist and genuine threat to American democracy tonight," he added.
And later, he said the fact that Trump is there "yucking it up with the political elite like he’s not an election-denying, sociopathic threat to democracy makes our entire country look insane."
"We’re living through an unprecedented era of political and media manipulation," wrote Luke Zaleski, legal affairs editor at Condé Nast. He added: "I’m watching social media rewriting itself and history and its own history simultaneously right now."
"These fossils all thought they could just have a night of good natured fun with this evil convicted felon," wrote Fred Wellman, host of the "On Democracy Podcast," in response to a clip of Trump calling Bill de Blasio a "terrible mayor" who did a "horrible job."
"What did you think he would do? There is the Arch Bishop of New York in frame with a rapist. Good call guys," said Wellman.
He blamed "blind" organizers of the event for not knowing ahead of time that it would "blow up in their faces."
"Wake up to the time we live in. Your bygone era of yucking it up over tax policies are gone. This guy is a rapist and they are all laughing at his racist bulls---."
Watch part of the speech below or at this link.