I Ate With Fascists At Trump Tower
The W.O.K.E Collective did not take a break this Labor Day weekend. Sean Joseph Watson went on a special assignment at Trump Tower in Manhattan, where he embedded himself with fascists to learn firsthand how fascists feast inside the Dark Tower. Below is his debrief with Harry P. Chavez.
Sean, what were you hoping to learn from your experience? It was definitely risky to brave entering the inner sanctum of Trumpism!
Growing up, I remembered a quote that always stuck with me: “Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you what you are.” This was, of course, on an intertitle at the beginning of each episode of the original Japanese version of Iron Chef. With this in mind, I wanted to learn what makes a fascist a fascist. Why do they feel the way they feel? What, literally, inside them drives them to hate? So, I went undercover as a Trump supporter inside Trump tower to eat at Trump Grill.
What bravery! What was your first impression walking in the door?
My first impression was fear, which eventually led to triggering. I was shocked at how many minoirites there were; I even saw a Muslim lady with a headscarf and black men with Trump hats! It took everything in my power to hold it in when I saw the Trump campaign merch downstairs by the restaurant, with so many MAGA hats on display, along with other offensive imagery.
It got worse. In order to buy the merchandise, you had to either be a US citizen or have a green card. This was clearly meant to make sure Latinx people couldn’t buy merch — not that any self-respecting Latinx would, anyway.
Worst of all, nothing for people who identify as non-binary! They had “Make Our Farmers Great Again” hats and “Women for Trump” shirts, but nothing for people who aren’t cis? What the fuck Trumpsters? This is the 21st Century! What would Blaire White wear?
Of course, this didn’t matter to the fascists in my party. They bought stuff from there anyway.
Wow, so Trump is even racist and transphobic in the merchandise he peddles to his idiotic followers. Not surprising, but still disappointing. After witnessing the depravity of the gift shop, where did you head next?
We headed to the restaurant right after the fascists were done buying Trump merchandise. When I opened the menu, I knew I had to document a human rights violation for the whole world to see. Look closely at the picture below:
Notice something odd about the Salads section? One of the items listed is called a “Taco Bowl.” This is an extreme offense to Latinx culture. Why is it called “Taco Bowl”? This is non-inclusive af. It should be called “Tacx Bowl,” since how can you assume the gender of a tacx? 🤦🏻
I’m surprised you had any appetite left after being bombarded with so many triggers! Before we delve into your meal, I’d like to ask about the ambiance. Would you say the place had a whiff of “Gestapo dining hall” about it?
Well just look at that booth. I definitely felt like the Night of The Long Knives could break out any minute.
If such an event were to happen, you would have been SOL, since there isn’t any WiFi in that restaurant due to security concerns. Cellular signal was abysmal. Good luck tweeting from there once Trump SS goons swarm in!
There was WiFi on the other levels of Trump Tower though. Go figure.
Let’s get to the meal. How was the food? Would a vegetarian or vegan find many options, or is the menu as blasè and meat and potatoes-oriented as Drumpf’s pallette?
You only had a couple salads to choose from if you were a vegan tbh. Vegetarians would’ve been stuck in the salad section as well.
I ordered the House Salad, which tasted like one of those Asian Fusion places that white Manhattanites always say “has the best sushi ever and it’s only 2 blocks from my apartment!” It was about the same price as such places, so I guess I can’t fault Trump for that.
Of course, since my goal was to understand fascism by eating like Trump, I ordered a Diet Coke with my meal. I didn’t get alcohol (that Heineken belonged to someone else), since Trump doesn’t drink, like an über-fascist.
Would you say that the place was filled with people trying to virtue signal their slavish love for Trump by purchasing overpriced meals at his restaurant?
That is inherently what buying food here is — virtue signaling love of Drumpf. Everyone I talked to in that restaurant told me they were there to support Trump and because they saw the place as a safe space for Trump supporters. The very act of being there was their retaliation against the establishment and “liberal elites.”
The fascists I was with, who claimed affiliation with the Proud Boys, ordered the “Taco Bowl” as a homage to one of Trump’s most famous campaign moments. It definitely looked a lot more sad than the Trump tweet.
There was a point of contention that everyone agreed was a stain on Trump’s record. Trump famously eats his steaks well-done. This was a bridge too far for me, so I ordered the steak medium rare. Other steak eaters did the same thing and were unanimous in their disapproval of well-done steaks. As one diner put it, “Trump doesn’t know everything.” Agreed.
I’d say he doesn’t know much at all! You mentioned being in the presence of claimed Proud Boys. Did you fear that they’d notice your snappy Ché polo and resort to violence?
No one noticed at all! I was shocked no one caught my heroic act of #resistance! I was hoping for a triumphant moment of virtue signaling, that I could record on my phone and make viral for the whole world to see. Unfortunately, that moment never came.
Perhaps you can chalk this up to the lack of politically-correct history getting taught in the American school system. Perhaps they figured it was just another “leftist” fashion logo since fashion is such a woke af industry. Thankfully, it’s nearly impossible not to wear clothing from woke designers these days.
Still shocking that the Proud Boys didn’t attack me, given that I am clearly a minority. Isn’t that why ANTIFA fights them? Aren’t people like this why the Southern Poverty Law Center exists? It was definitely unsettling to my confirmation bias.
Do you feel like you can better understand Trumpists, now that you’ve breathed the same air as them and broke bread with them?
I at first thought perhaps we do have something in common, since we all agreed that well-done steaks are terrible. But, then came the true test — actually eating a steak with ketchup like Trump.
The ketchup, which dissolved like watery red jizz when it hits the steak, was just 🤮. Oppression like this is why I #resist. The combination made me even more determined to fight for a world where wypipo know how to season food.
This was a vile combination. I only remember kids doing this when I was growing up. In retrospect, if I was a parent and I saw my child do that, that’s the point where I would slap the white out of zer/zim like an ANTIFA. Yes, I would do this even though ANTIFA members tend to be white themselves…. 🤔
I couldn’t proceed further with that combination. I decided to eat the steak like an actual adult. The steak itself was okay; a little dry, but better than my usual go-to place for steak — Golden Corral, which is all I can normally afford.
Then came the desert: brownie a la mode. It only came with one scoop of ice cream — anathema to Donald Trump. I asked for a second scoop since I wanted a more authentic Trump-like experience. The waiter gave me a second scoop free of charge, so shout out to that guy for his nod to the proletariat. His sacrifice will not be forgotten ✊
The desert itself was okay. It was on par with what you get at Chili’s or Outback Steakhouse.
What thoughts were going through your head as you walked out of Trump’s gilded domain? Do you feel changed by your experience?
I think I finally understood the Trumpist point of view. If I spent my life eating dry steak with ketchup and two scoops of VANILLA ice cream with diet coke, I too would be enraged and angry with the political establishment.
I was feeling that rage too. I too felt like the Americans of flyover country have gotten a raw deal. However, this all changed when I talked with a family from Minnesota.
They expressed the typical praises for Trump on trade and the usual minsogynst attacks on Hillary’s “corruption” — aka a woman rising to the top of the political order. But then came the point that took me out of Trumpworld — one of these family members called George Soros a “globalist” and a “crook.”
I could not stand for this. George Soros is the GOAT. What he did for my people, Asians, was stunning. What he did with taxes — extraordinary. His resistance against Nazis — legendary. George Soros is a man who is ultra-ethical and winning history.
After that conversation, something awakened inside me. I looked at my reflection from my iPhone X screen (fascists use Android), and remembered who I truly was: a man who fights to end racism against people of color, like Che Guevara.
Your desire to bring first-hand experiences to our readers is truly what the WOKE Collective is all about. After risking life and limb to bring hard-hitting news and commentary from Trump Tower to the streets, do you have any final words of wisdom you can share?
I will continue to do this for our readers so the revolution will thrive and be live. No one can weaken the strength of my virtue signal. My game is too on fleek to get distorted by Trumpofascists.
That day was important, for it gave me a taste of how the enemy is and how to counteract it. The revolution starts at the home — teach your kids not to eat steak with ketchup, people! That is vital to saving your child from the temptations of fascism.
When I left the building, I proudly took the MAGA hat off my head and into a bag. Not because the red hat had any power over me, but because I was afraid I would get harassed on the streets of Manhattan.
✊
If you haven’t already, please read our older articles to awaken your mind to more ways to fight injustice. We come out with new articles regularly, so stay tuned, because the outrage never stops!
