Donald Trump booed for branding Hillary Clinton 'corrupt' at charity dinner

David Gardner7 November 2016

Donald Trump was booed as he laid into White House rival Hillary Clinton in a scathing speech at a normally light-hearted charity dinner.

Guests were angered at the billionaire’s ugly wisecracks at a black tie event that traditionally provides presidential candidates with a welcome break from the campaign battlefield.

With the former First Lady sitting just a few feet away at the Al Smith Memorial Foundation dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, the outspoken Republican candidate’s jokes quickly deteriorated into insults.

He was showered with boos as he branded Mrs Clinton “corrupt” and accused her of “hating Catholics”.

“Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission,” he said, looking awkwardly down at his notes. “How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate commission? Pretty corrupt.”

The joke fell flat but rather than lighten up, Mr Trump doubled down.

“Hillary believes it’s vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private,” he said.

However he got some laughs when he made fun of his own wife, Melania, for “borrowing” parts of an old speech by First Lady Michelle Obama.

“I must say the media is more biased than ever before. Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves her. My wife Melania gives the same speech and people get on her case,” he said.

Mrs Clinton even cracked up at a jibe about his claims that his Democrat opponent should be jailed for using her private email accounts for official business while Secretary of State.

“Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she very civilly said, ‘Pardon me,’” he said.

“This is corny stuff,” Mr Trump admitted at one point.

But many of the 1,000 guests complained they were left with a bad taste in their mouths when Mr Trump launched more personal attacks during last night’s fundraiser for Catholic charities.

“Last night, I called Hillary a nasty woman. This stuff is all relevant. After listening to Hillary rattle on and on and I don’t think so badly of Rosie O’Donnell,” Mr Trump said, referring to his long-running feud with the actress.

“Here she is in public, pretending not to hate Catholics,” Mr Trump said of Mrs Clinton to gasps in the room.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was seated between the pair, described his spot as the “iciest place on the planet”.

Mrs Clinton, looking more relaxed than at the previous night’s televised duel in Las Vegas, was not above taking a few digs of her own at Mr Trump.

“People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four,” she said.

After a brief pause for effect, she continued: “Maybe a five if she removes the torch and tablet and changes her hair.”

She also said: “Donald wanted me drug tested before last night’s debate. I am so flattered that Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer. Now actually, I did. It’s called preparation.”

In the past, candidates have used the opportunity to jokingly trade blows but also congratulate one another. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were both widely praised for their performances in 2012.

Last night’s confrontation showed there’s unlikely to be a thaw in relations between the pair as the US election campaign enters its final stretch.

But at least they shook hands, which is more than they did at the ill-tempered debate the night before.

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