Although Kamala Harris did not attend the Al Smith charity dinner in person on Thursday, she did record a video message for the event—one that was quickly interrupted by Molly Shannon, playing her famous Saturday Night Live recurring character Mary Katherine Gallagher.
The always nervous, hyper Mary Katherine told Harris: “I just want to say that I’m Catholic, and tonight is one of the biggest dinners next to the Last Supper.”
“It is a very important dinner,” Harris agreed, “and it’s an important tradition that I’m so proud to be a part of.” She asked Mary if she had any advice for her speech tonight, which led to a series of not-so-subtle digs at Donald Trump from both of them.
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One piece of Mary’s advice: “Don’t lie. Thou shall not bear a false witness to thy neighbor.”
“Indeed, especially thy neighbor’s election results,” Harris replied.
“Just so you know, there will be a fact-checker there tonight,” Mary told her, referring to JD Vance’s moment in the VP debate where he complained about getting fact-checked. She also advised Harris not to say anything bad about Catholics.
“I would never do that, no matter where I was. That would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit,” Harris joked, referencing the fact that Trump did exactly that at a rally last week.
When Mary asked Harris, “Does it bother you that that Trump guy insults you all the time?” Harris gently responded, “Oh, Mary Catherine, it’s very important to always remember: You should never let anyone tell you who you are. You tell them who you are.”
“Haters gonna hate, hate, hate,” Mary said.
“Shake it off,” Harris agreed.
Mary gave Harris one last piece of advice before her big speech: “Remember one more thing: Don’t worry if you make a mistake, because Catholic people are very forgiving.”
Harris’ speech paid tribute to the late New York Governor Al Smith and the Catholic church, and complimented the charity dinner for providing “a rare opportunity to set aside partisanship.”
“In the spirit of tonight’s dinner, let us recommit to reaching across divides to seek understanding and common ground,” Harris said. “And in honor of the great Al Smith, let us fight to build a better future with faith in God, our country, and in each other.”
