Al Smith V: Trump ‘crossed the line’ at charity roast

by Elliot Smilowitz - 10/21/16 8:41 AM ET

Grandson of Al Smith on Clinton/Trump jokes: "I've been to a lot of dinners…this was one for the record books" https://t.co/oIa7b2SmXI

— New Day (@NewDay) October 21, 2016

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s performance at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner “crossed the line and took it a little too far,” according to a member of the Smith family.

“The room did get a little uncomfortable,” Alfred E. Smith V told CNN on Friday morning, the day after Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton spoke at the annual roast and Catholic charity fundraiser.

{mosads}Trump was booed at the dinner after quipping that Clinton “is tonight in public pretending not to hate Catholics.”

“That line in a room full of predominantly Catholics, that didn’t go over very well,” Smith said.

He compared the event to Wednesday night’s presidential debate, saying that in both events, Trump “had some very solid minutes early on” before faltering later and going too far.

“Hillary, you know, on the other hand, was able to laugh at herself and at the same time not underplay any of the serious things that Donald Trump has said or done,” Smith added.

He said Trump’s routine cast a pall on the crowd, leading to fewer laughs for Clinton’s performance than she would have typically gotten.

“When ultimately she got the mic, she had some very funny things that she had said, and I don’t think they got as many laughs as they could have just because the tone in the room had shifted a bit.”

Smith noted that the dinner raised more than $6 million.

“I’ve been to a lot of the dinners in my life, and this was one for the record books.”

Al Smith grandson says Trump's joke about Hillary's "hate" of Catholics "took the tone in a different direction" https://t.co/Vzkj6AeOIl

— New Day (@NewDay) October 21, 2016

Tags Donald Trump Hillary Clinton