It was all meant to be harmless banter and self-deprecatory humour, but when Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off, some bad blood is inevitable. At a high profile annual Catholic charity roast in New York on Thursday night, when Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton poked fun at each other, it was both personal and political, and often touching a raw nerve.
Noting that he was expected to tell self-deprecatory jokes, Mr. Trump who spoke first, said to laughter: “People say it will be tough for me.” When he said, “the truth is that I am a very modest person. Modesty is my best quality – even better than my temperament,” people laughed even louder. Mr. Trump’s bragging nature and allegedly unfit temperament are among the charges Ms. Clinton brings up against him often.
She will speak after him
Pointing out that she was speaking after Mr. Trump, Ms. Clinton said: “You know, come to think of it, it’s amazing I’m up here after Donald. I didn’t think he’d be okay with a peaceful transition of power.” Mr. Trump, who has refused to commit himself to honour the election outcome, and called the election process rigged, appeared to be enjoying the joke.
“If this evening doesn’t turn out to be your liking, it must be rigged,” she said. “After the benediction Donald will let us know whether this dinner is over….He has to see,” she said. Mr. Trump has said he “will see” the election results before accepting it.
Catholic imageries to take a dig
Both candidates also invoked Catholic imageries to snipe at the opponent. Ms. Clinton said, “getting through these three debates with Donald has to count as a miracle.” Mr. Trump said the priest who listened to Ms. Clinton’s confession before the event had a tough time.
“The priest had a tough time asking her to recount her sins. She said she doesn’t remember, 39 times.” Reportedly, Ms. Clinton claimed loss of recollection 39 times when FBI sleuths interviewed her on the private server that she maintained as the Secretary of State.
Ms. Clinton roasted Mr. Trump for his tendency to grade the physical appearance of women. “Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a “four,”” she said to laughter. “Maybe a “five” if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.”
Now, Hillary is not charging for this
Mr. Trump told the audience that the evening was special because this was the first time Ms. Clinton was speaking to such a wealthy audience and not charging for it. “I’ve known Hillary for a long time – this is the first time ever, ever, that Hillary is sitting down and speaking to major corporate leaders and not getting paid for it,” he said.
Ms. Clinton agreed with him: “And as you’ve already heard, it’s a treat for all of you too, because usually I charge a lot for speeches like this,” she said. Ms. Clinton’s paid speeches to Wall Street executives have been controversial.
His jab at his wife
One Trump joke came at the expense of his wife Melania. Talking of media bias, Mr. Trump said: “You want the proof? Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it — it’s fantastic. They think she’s absolutely great. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech — and people get on her case.” Mr. Trump was referring to his wife’s speech at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, which had portions, plagiarised from a speech Ms. Obama gave at a Democratic National Convention.
Mr. Trump also went after the media, his favorite target. “I know Hillary met my campaign manager, and I got the chance to meet the people who are working so hard to get her elected. There they are — the heads of NBC, CNN, CBS, ABC — there’s the New York Times , right over there, and the Washington Post ,” he said.
