The Al Smith Dinner is supposed to be an evening of jokes and laughs that, according to CNN, pulls double-duty as a benefit for Catholic charities and a final chance for presidential candidates to meet face-to-face in the weeks leading up to the election. Does this sound weird? That's because it is. Usually, candidates get through it by keeping the humor lighthearted and self-deprecating. Unfortunately, Republican nominee Donald Trump used it as an opportunity to dish out the Hillary Clinton digs he didn’t deliver during the third presidential debate.
The New York Times reports that Trump started his set by comparing his notoriously small hands to the size of the crowds Clinton has drawn during her many campaign trips. He then fired off a few zingers, including—you guessed it—another reference to jail time for the former Secretary of State.
“Just before taking the dais, Hillary accidentally bumped into me. And she very civilly said, ‘Pardon me,’” Trump said. “I very politely replied, ‘Let me talk to you about that after I get into office.’”
Trump also jumped right back into some rather familiar territory. "I wasn't really sure if Hillary was going to be here tonight because, I guess, you didn't send her invitation by email. Or maybe you did, and she just found out about it through the wonder of WikiLeaks," he ‘joked.’ "We've learned so much from WikiLeaks. For example, Hillary believes that it is vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private."
The crowd actually starting booing, which, according to former New York City council speaker Christine Quinn, was a bizarre occurrence. “I’ve never heard boos like that. Never,” she told CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper.
The boos and harsh remarks were shocking, but the night ended on what may have been the most surprising act of all: Trump and Clinton shook hands. It was quick, but it happened. So, at least we have that.