Trump blasts Harris for missing traditional Catholic charity event in New York

A presidential election tradition that dates back to 1960 will get a few laughs in New York City on Thursday night, but for the first time in 40 years there will only be one candidate on the agenda.

Former President Donald Trump will attend the New York Archdiocese's Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation annual dinner at the New York Hilton with his wife Melania. Vice President Kamala Harris announced last month that she would not be able to attend due to a conflicting campaign event.

“She will be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time on the battlefield so close to the election,” a campaign official told ABC News on Sept. 23.

The vice president attended several campaign events in Wisconsin on Thursday, but there were reports that she could still make her mark at the New York gala.

Trump claimed in a Truth Social post Thursday evening that Harris would release a video message at the event and rebuked her for the alleged move.

“They didn't give me the option of a video message and I wouldn't have done it either. This is very disrespectful to everyone involved,” he said, adding that Harris is likely to lose the Catholic vote on this.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment via video to ABC News regarding a possible appearance at the dinner.

Since 1960, the black-tie event has hosted both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, allowing them to “share self-deprecating humor” and raise money for archdiocesan charities.

It is named in honor of Alfred E. Smith, the former governor of New York who was the first Catholic to be nominated for the presidential nomination of a major party.

The last time a presidential candidate was unable to attend the dinner was in 1984, when Democratic candidate Walter Mondale dropped out.

This year's event will be hosted by comedian Jim Gaffigan, who currently plays Gov. Tim Walz on “Saturday Night Live.”

Before the gala, Trump visited a hair salon in the Bronx.

Trump confirmed his attendance in a Truth Social post on September 23, not long after Harris' campaign announced she would not be appearing.

“It's sad but not surprising that Kamala chose not to attend,” he said in the post.

In the same post, Trump accused Harris of being anti-Catholic and repeated previous claims without evidence that the government was persecuting Catholics. President Joe Biden is the second Catholic president in American history and attends mass weekly.

In the past, presidential candidates have teased each other and appeared to be in good spirits throughout the night. However, things were different in 2016, when both presidential candidates attended the event in person for the last time.

Trump was booed during his 2016 Al Smith Dinner speech for repeatedly using Sec. had attacked. by State Hillary Clinton.

During Clinton's remarks, the Democratic nominee made a few self-deprecating jokes about her stamina and paid speeches before turning her attention to Trump, where she berated him about everything from his temper to his ties to Russia.

Trump didn't laugh or seem amused by his opponent's jokes.

ABC News' Soo Rin Kim, Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.