“The food is GREAT”: Amidst coronavirus crisis, Trump tweets out Yelp-like restaurant review
As the Trump administration stumbles and frantically attempts to assemble a coherent response to both the health crisis and the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, Donald Trump himself is watching TV and tweeting out a politically-motivated Yelp review of a local restaurant in Phoenix — one that he’s never even been to — just because the folks on Fox and Friends told him that the Mexican-American owners were his supporters.
The food is GREAT at Sammy’s Mexican Grill in Phoenix, Arizona. Congratulations to Betty & Jorge Rivas on doing such a wonderful job. I will try hard to stop by the next time I am in Phoenix. Support Sammy’s! @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020
The president’s tweet is reminiscent of the type of low-budget TV commercial that one usually sees broadcast late at night on local TV channels or in the cable operator’s section of the ad break squeezed between spots for the nail salon down the street, the nearby jewelers, and ambulance-chasing lawyers.
Except that those ads typically at least correctly list the location of the business that they are promoting, which Trump decidedly did not, since Sammy’s Mexican Grill is actually north of Tucson, Arizona, over 100 miles southeast of Phoenix.
The notion of the President of the United States shilling for a taco joint simply because Fox News decided to feature its owners as unlikely Latino Trump fans was like a red flag waved in front of a bull to the many Americans who recall Trump’s description of Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals and who believe that a real president would be spending his time during this pandemic reading crucial briefings on our country’s preparedness strategies and the myriad of other important issues facing the nation rather than watching TV and monitoring his public image.
The most vocal of these folks took to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction with Trump’s self-appointed role as restaurant critic-in-chief.
https://twitter.com/ChrisJZullo/status/1234134722424557569?s=20
Instead of dealing with the worldwide pandemic or collapsing economy, this guy’s just tweeting out Yelp reviews now.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) March 1, 2020
"and some, I assume, are good people"
— our president, ten seconds after calling Mexicans rapists
— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) March 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/lesleyabravanel/status/1234137375636414464?s=20
https://twitter.com/_ReaalAmerican_/status/1234140135496781827?s=20
He has already said hes afraid of germs and kicks people out of meetings if they cough. pic.twitter.com/5pN46RX9j7
— Lost Droids (@Lost_Droids) March 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/nancylevine/status/1234141759166238725?s=20
Ummm….Google it…wrong city.
Good thing you're not giving out any IMPORTANT information.
Oh……..wait.
*&^$!
— Byron Ricketts (@BJR3_Boston) March 1, 2020
— Keanothedog_Returns (@judgeyourself99) March 1, 2020
Try the pander platter!
— Em's Peach Mints (@kat_deville) March 1, 2020
There's a sandwich special today……….. pic.twitter.com/9UFiIzCfzZ
— Justin Case (@JustinC41901859) March 1, 2020
Been there, done that pic.twitter.com/2RI852ncjF
— Daniel Gump ☕️ (@DSiPaint) March 1, 2020
While the Trump critics who disparaged the president for his inability to prioritize those presidential duties that involved protecting the health and safety of all Americans may be justified in expressing their outrage over his failure to meet their expectations of presidential competence, perhaps it’s best to look on the bright side of his focusing on such trivial, self-serving matters.
When Trump spends his time watching Fox News and tweeting about local businesses whose owners support him, at least he’s not meddling in other areas where his incompetence can do so much more significant damage. With his mental faculties in such obvious decline, it’s probably best if his handlers keep him occupied with TV and political vendettas and only trot him out to speak to the public when absolutely necessary.
Given his incoherence and zombified demeanor in his recent public appearances at the coronavirus press conference and at his CPAC address, it may be best to keep him quarantined in case his stupidity is as virulent as the pandemic the world now faces.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
