Melania Trump made a rare appearance with her husband and was promptly forced to hear about the time he bragged about grabbing women by the genitals.
Former President Donald Trump and his wife attended the Al Smith charity dinner in New York on Thursday night. The annual Catholic charity event, which typically follows a roast-like format, was emceed this year by comedian Jim Gaffigan.
“During the first and only debate, President Trump talked about taking cats and eating them,” he joked at one point. “If you’re keeping track at home, this is the second time grabbing a kitty has been part of a campaign issue.”
He was referring to the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape of Trump boasting in 2005 that he could grab women “by the pussy” as he pleases because he’s famous. It came to light in October 2016, weeks before that year’s presidential election.
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Trump married the former first lady in January 2005 and they had their son, Barron, the following year. Porn actor Stormy Daniels claims they had an affair in the summer of 2006 — the story at the center of the hush money case that led to Trump’s criminal conviction on charges of falsifying business records earlier this year.
Melania Trump has barely joined her husband at all on the 2024 campaign trail. Her last major event by his side was at the Republican National Convention in July. She’s made a spate of media appearances recently, though, to promote her new book.
Vice President Kamala Harris declined to join Thursday’s event, typically attended by both presidential candidates, appearing instead via a prerecorded video message while she campaigned in Wisconsin.
Gaffigan faced backlash for taking the job, with critics accusing him of normalizing and legitimizing the former president and his hateful rhetoric.