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A combination photo shows Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during their third and final debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Oct. 19, 2016. One day later they were scheduled to meet in New York City for the annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

UPDATED 10:38 p.m. EDT — Donald Trump was repeatedly heckled as he and Hillary Clinton did their best stand-up comic impressions during a charity fundraiser dinner in New York City Thursday night. The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner has a longstanding tradition of featuring major party presidential nominees roasting one another while playfully poking fun at themselves. The White House hopefuls did that, and then some.

Trump's remarks started off innocently enough with a reference to his wife Melania plagiarizing first lady Michelle Obama this summer — a barb that received applause and laughter from the audience and Clinton alike. But then Trump's comments took on somewhat of a dark, malicious tone at the event that benefits "the neediest children of the Archdiocese of New York" and is named for a man who was a devoted Catholic.

"Here she is tonight, pretending not to hate Catholics," Trump said to a chorus of boos. This time, Clinton was not amused.

He continued.

"Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate commission?" he asked rhetorically to more boos.

"I don’t know who they’re angry at, Hillary, you or I," he said wryly to his opponent in response to the audience's reaction.

Clinton's turn to speak primarily stuck to the same type of approach previous presidential nominees have employed at the event in years past. Her remarks included references to her notoriously high speaking fees and her now-confirmed predilection for napping.

"I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here,” Clinton snapped. "Usually, I charge a lot for speeches like this."

But perhaps her biggest zinger of the night came, of course, at Trump's expense in a direct reference to the Republican nominee's reputed objectification of women.

Expressing her joy at returning to the state she calls home, Clinton took a moment to pay homage to what she called a symbol of hope in the Statue of Liberty, which is located just a few miles the dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. But Trump, she insisted, "looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4."

Clinton quickly connected the dots.

"Maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair," she said, an allusion to Trump's documented comments about women's physical appearances.

The bubbling animosity between the candidates was apparent as they were separated by just one person -- Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York -- while seated during the ceremony. They hardly looked at one another before, during and after each one spoke at the dais. Like Tuesday night's debate in Las Vegas, they did not shake hands ahead of the event.

However, at the close of the dinner, they did what has become the unthinkable and appeared to exchange the briefest of pleasantries, including, yes, a handshake.

Both candidates are scheduled to return to the campaign trail Friday, with Trump holding a rally in North Carolina and two others in Pennsylvania. Clinton is scheduled to hold her own rally in Cleveland.

The entire footage of the night's festivities can be viewed below.

Original story:

The 2016 presidential election cycle has been anything but traditional, but both major party nominees will be expected to embrace the political establishment's roots during the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner Thursday night in New York City. The 71st installment of the charity event has historically invited U.S. presidential candidates to participate in a moment of levity by offering up a variety of self-deprecating jokes.

That means that just 24 hours after a contentious final debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic counterpart Hillary Clinton, the two White House hopefuls will again be in the same room. Only this time, the mood will — at least in theory — be much more lighthearted.

The dinner that benefits "the neediest children of the Archdiocese of New York, regardless of race, creed, or color" is set to begin at 9 p.m. EDT. To watch a live stream of the candidates making their humorous remarks, you can click here or scroll down to the bottom of the page to watch an embedded live feed.

The event is named for the former four-term governor of New York and one-time Democratic presidential nominee who "achieved the passage of extensive reform legislation, including improved factory laws, better housing requirements, and expanded welfare services." according to the foundation's website.

If history is any indication, Trump will refrain from calling his political opponent a "nasty woman" — as he did Tuesday night in the Las Vegas debate — and Clinton won't draw attention to her rival's reluctance to release his tax history. Instead, they will likely rib one another with playful barbs such as how President Barack Obama did with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney when they were running against each other for the White House in 2012.

"Ultimately, though, tonight is not about the disagreements Gov. Romney and I may have," Obama said four years ago. "It’s what we have in common — beginning with our unusual names."

He was working his way to the punchline: "Actually, Mitt is his middle name. I wish I could use my middle name," he said in reference to the name Hussein.

Clinton and Trump seem to lack Obama's natural gift for timing with delivering jokes, so it could be interesting to see how the candidates perform when they take the stage Thursday night.

Obama's address in full can be seen below by clicking here. Romney's remarks can be seen by clicking here.

To watch Thursday night's Alfred E. Smither dinner live, watch the below feed.