Ever since Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, she’s hid herself away from the public as much as possible. On the rare occasion that she does emerge, she does so in highly controlled and scripted situations.

This is likely due to the fact that when Harris is put on the spot and forced to go off-script, she almost always flounders. Indeed, these situations typically result in a brutal public embarrassment for her.

Harris’ latest attempt to protect herself, however, may just be her biggest mistake of this race yet. She’s just wimped out of a major event that her opponent Donald Trump is more than ready to attend.

Harris has announced that she will not be attending the Al Smith dinner in New York City next month. Meanwhile, Trump will be going to the New York Catholic Charities fundraiser, which is scheduled for October 17.

From The Hill:
Harris’s team told event organizers that she will be campaigning in a battleground state on the day of the dinner and is unable to attend, a campaign official told The Hill. She “wants to maximize her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election,” but her team told organizers that she would like to attend the event as president, if elected.

Trump fired back by saying that “it will be an honor to attend” this dinner.

“It was a virtual event in 2020, and I was delighted to speak to our Catholic friends that day and, of course, it was a HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL evening in 2016 when we were there in person with Crooked Hillary Clinton,” he stated on his Truth Social media platform.

Harris can blame her busy schedule for herself not attending this event all that she wants to. The reality is that she likely wants to avoid this dinner like the plague because it would force her to be contemporaneous. When it comes to interacting with others off-script, Harris simply can’t compete with Trump. That’s why Harris is undoubtedly terrified that if she and Trump each attend this event, she’ll be exposed as being a far weaker candidate than he is.

Kamala Harris Will Skip AL Smith Dinner

"Every presidential candidate has attended since 1984, but I do think it's her latest action that reveals her actual anti-Christian, anti-Catholic values." – @TheRebeccaWeber from @AMACforAmerica #AlSmithDinner pic.twitter.com/aO9A1vs2F3

— Steve Gruber (@stevegrubershow) September 24, 2024

Cardinal Dolan Hits Back At Harris

Unfortunately for Harris, however, skipping out on this event is already blowing up in her face. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, spoke out on Monday to say that he is “disappointed” in Harris for choosing not to attend the dinner. He also warned her that this could be a costly blunder, as it has been 40 years since a presidential candidate has turned down the invitation.

More from Fox News:
“We’re disappointed,” Dolan said during a press briefing at the Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center in Yonkers on Monday. “We were looking forward to giving the vice president an enthusiastic welcome, and we were confident that she would find this – you know, she speaks very much about high ideals and how it’s good to get away from division and come together in unity and all. That’s what the Al Smith dinner is all about.

“We’re not used to this. We don’t know how to handle it,” he continued. “This hasn’t happened in 40 years, since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states. I don’t want to say there’s a direct connection there, but … we’re not giving up.”

Cardinal Dolan on Kamala Harris snubbing the Catholic community by skipping the Al Smith charity dinner: "This hasn’t happened in 40 years since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states."pic.twitter.com/XjOubeFwhY

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) September 24, 2024

It seems that Harris’ mistakes are finally starting to add up. If she thought that she could quietly avoid this dinner with no backlash, she’s already learning that she was dead wrong.

As Cardinal Dolan said, the last candidate to turn down this invitation suffered a historically brutal defeat come Election Day. In the end, Harris shouldn’t be surprised if a similar fate is awaiting her in the wake of this decision.

Key Takeaways: 

• Harris to skip the Al Smith dinner in New York City next month.
• Trump will attend the dinner.
• This is the first time in forty years that a presidential candidate has turned down this invitation.

Sources: The Hill, Truth Social, Fox News