FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 28, 2020
(New York, NY) President Donald J. Trump has accepted the invitation to participate in the 75th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner Virtual Event. An invitation has also been extended to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and we look forward to having him join us for the virtual event which will broadcast live on Thursday, October 1, 2020 from the Cardinal’s residence.
A hybrid event was originally scheduled at the Wave Hill gardens in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. New York State government expressed their understandable concerns about the fifty person gathering, and, in the interest of the safety and protection of our speakers and guests, this year’s Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner will now be a virtual event. The event will feature our distinguished speakers, President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and hosts Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York and Mary Erdoes, Vice Chair of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation. President Trump and Vice President Biden are expected to participate remotely. Cardinal Dolan and Mary Erdoes will be live at the Cardinal’s residence. The National Anthem will be performed by Nadine Sierra from New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
In a tradition extending back to 1960 with then Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon, U.S. presidential nominees have served as the evening’s celebrated speakers at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, leaving political differences at the door for one night of collegiality and good humor before the election. The Al Smith Dinner has come to be regarded as one of our culture’s last bastions of non-partisan unity, where the political, business, and cultural leaders come together, regardless of political affiliations, to raise money for the most vulnerable members of society, underserved children.
This year, the legacy of Governor Alfred E. Smith takes on greater meaning. He was the last governor to lead our state through a pandemic. As such, the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation will dedicate this year’s event to the frontline and essential workers of New York who worked valiantly to keep the city running and the people of New York healthy and safe when the pandemic touched ground in our city. Their lessons in compassion and heroism raised the bar for what can be accomplished when we come together as city and a country. This too was the message of the “Happy Warrior” Governor Alfred E. Smith, who worked diligently to protect the interests of those most in need, even when doing so meant reaching across the aisle.
Please be advised that we will be providing a live feed and satellite channel prior to the event for the press wishing to cover the event scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM E.S.T. There will be no credentialed press at the event this year.
Additional details and updates pertaining to the event will be shared in the coming days.
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Press Contact: Mercedes Anderson, Director of Communications for the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation
(646)794-2996