Cardinal Dolan: In private, Trump praised Clinton as ‘tough’ and ‘talented’

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton did more than trade barbs Thursday.

The Republican who has threatened to jail his political opponent and the Democrat who has maintained that her rival is temperamentally unfit for office had surprisingly nice things to say offstage at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, according to its host.


While Trump and Clinton both took swipes at each other in their remarks at the annual roast and Catholic fundraiser, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the candidates had “nice things” to say offstage.

“I was very moved by the obvious attempt on behalf of both Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump to kind of be courteous, to get along, to say nice things privately to one another,” Dolan said on NBC’s “Today.” “I was very moved by that. That was pleasant.”

Dolan, who sat between Trump and Clinton at the dais, acknowledged the two were, like President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in 2012, “kind of awkward together.”

“But the purpose of the evening is to break some of that ice, and thanks be to God, it works,” he said. “The Al Smith Dinner by its nature literally tries to — I’m sitting there between the two — and literally,I’m supposed to be kind of a bridge to bring these two people together. And I try my best, and there were some very touching moments.”

Dolan said the three of them prayed together. “And after the little prayer, Mr. Trump turned to Secretary Clinton and said, ‘You know, you are one tough and talented woman,’” he recalled. “And he said, ‘This has been a good experience in this whole campaign, as tough as it’s been,’ and she said to him, ‘And Donald, whatever happens, we need to work together afterwards.’ Now I thought: This is the evening at its best.”