Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner

[2] Apart from presidential candidates, keynote speakers have included Tony Blair,[3] Tom Brokaw, Bob Hope, Henry Kissinger, Clare Boothe Luce, and many other prominent civic, business, and church leaders.

[4] Since 1960, when John F. Kennedy (who would become the first Roman Catholic president) and Richard Nixon were speakers, it has traditionally been a stop for the two major party presidential candidates during election years.

[5] In 1976, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford spoke; in 1980, Carter and Ronald Reagan; in 1988, George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis; in 2000, Al Gore[6] and George W. Bush;[7] in 2008, Barack Obama and John McCain;[8] in 2012, Barack Obama[9] and Mitt Romney;[10] in 2016, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump;[11] and in 2020, Trump and Joe Biden.

[16] In 1984, Ronald Reagan spoke, but his opponent, Walter Mondale, opted out, saying he needed time to prepare for an upcoming presidential debate.

In 2004, Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling explained that the candidates were not invited because "the issues in this year's campaign could provoke division and disagreement,"[21] but some speculated that the decision was due to Democratic nominee (and Roman Catholic) John Kerry's pro-choice stance on abortion.

[2] On October 20, 2016, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump spoke at the dinner which was hosted by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, who was seated between the two presidential candidates during the event.

His remarks drew boos and heckling from guests, prompting veteran GOP operative Ed Rollins to comment: "he didn’t quite understand the audience".