Melania and Donald are all smiles as they make rare public outing together at Al Smith dinner in NYC
Melania Trump has been notably absent from the campaign trail this year
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump were all smiles as they made a rare public appearance together at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York City.
The former president and former first lady appeared at the dinner both dressed in black-tie outfits on Thursday night. Trump smiled, raised his fist and shook hands as he made his way to his seat.
Trump is set to speak at the dinner, which comedian Jim Gaffigan is hosting. Other major politicians are in attendance, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Melania has been notably absent from the campaign trail. Over the last year, she has attended only a handful of rallies and events, often avoiding the spotlight while there.
She also broke a long-running tradition by attending but not speaking at the Republican National Convention in July. When Donald spoke on the last night, it was the last time Melania attended a major public event with her husband.
However, the former first lady has been in the public eye in recent weeks as she promotes her memoir, Melania. In the book, she passionately defends abortion rights despite her husband’s instrumental role in repealing Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision that protected the right to abortion nationwide.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” Melania wrote. “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.”
The Al Smith dinner is an annual event to raise money for Catholic charities. Attending the dinner has been a tradition among major party presidential candidates since the 1960s.
Kamala Harris’s team confirmed last month that the vice president will not be attending. This makes her the first presidential candidate for a major party to do so in decades. However, she has sent in a pre-recorded video to be played at the dinner.
Instead, Harris spent the day campaigning in Wisconsin, a key swing state.
The Make America Great Again PAC emailed supporters on Thursday slamming Harris for skipping the event, noting she is the first major party candidate to do so since the 1980s.
“Her radical policies are fundamentally at odds with Catholic teachings, and her history of anti-Catholic rhetoric has further alienated this crucial voting bloc,” the PAC wrote.
More to come...
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments