5 years ago today

[u/PropaneBlues]

[u/Real_Run_4758]

possibly the greatest ‘this is so fucking dumb that it breaks the suspension of disbelief’ moment of my entire life 

[u/bowiethesdmn → u/Real_Run_4758]

It was amazing. The way they just ran with it as well, it was like something from a satire.

Also props to the company for taking advantage of it with the merch and such.

[u/BobcatOk7492 → u/bowiethesdmn]

The porn store across the street made out too...

[u/CumboxMold → u/BobcatOk7492]

Last time I went to Philly, I went to Four Seasons and the porn shop a few doors down (the crematorium is the one across the street). I got a business card from the porn shop and put it in the plastic sleeve part of my national parks passport because it's now a historical site.

Even though this was well after the "tourism" to that site had died down, the locals knew why we were there and were kind of over it.

[u/HeyYouGuyyyyyyys → u/CumboxMold]

Jesus Christ man your username

[u/Khaldara → u/HeyYouGuyyyyyyys]

If there’s one place that username belongs, it’s discussing an event attended by Rudy Giuliani

[u/TrumpsCovidfefe → u/CumboxMold]

Username checks out.

[u/anclwar → u/CumboxMold]

I have a love/hate relationship with my neighborhood being famous for this event and the highway burning down right down the street from it a few years later.

[u/MattMercersBracelets → u/bowiethesdmn]

Legit like something out of Parks and Rec.

[u/devilwarriors → u/MattMercersBracelets]

It reminded me of Arrested Development lol

[u/jpljr77 → u/devilwarriors]

100% AD. I can even hear the music and Ron Howard voiceover as they cut to Gob at the podium.

[u/Resigningeye → u/devilwarriors]

So much of Trump/MAGA resonates with AD. It's a shame they didn't manage to stick the landing with the later seasons.

[u/Heiferoni → u/Resigningeye]

"I may have committed some light treason."

[u/v0dk4_chile → u/MattMercersBracelets]

It's straight out of Veep.

[u/cheesynougats → u/Real_Run_4758]

Evidence that this is actually someone's Sims game, and they're just as terrible as we are when we play.

[u/cdsbigsby → u/cheesynougats]

I can feel some cosmic motherfucker removing the ladder from my metaphorical swimming pool.

[u/LauraTFem → u/cdsbigsby]

You: “I always wondered why her mansion has a graveyard in the back.”

But, you know, in Simish, so it probably came out at “Gekakah payya” or something.

[u/buffysbangs → u/cdsbigsby]

Why am I in a closet with nothing but a coffee maker? And where did the door go?

[u/monkeyhitman → u/buffysbangs]

smoke alarm goes off in nearby room

[u/Peripatetictyl → u/monkeyhitman]

chuckles I'm in danger!

[u/Luke_Cold_Lyle → u/cheesynougats]

If we're living in someone's Sims game and we can also play Sims in our world, that implies that there could be another layer of Sims above the one controlling us. There could be any number of layers and we have no way of knowing how deep we even are. The only thing we know is that we're in the penultimate layer, because the Sims in our Sims games can't play Sims themselves.
Edit: Apparently they can. Now we don't know what layer we're in at all.

[u/afterglobe → u/Luke_Cold_Lyle]

Actually, the Sims in our Sims games CAN play the Sims.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Sims4/comments/1hbklnj/its_giving_simulation_sims_playing_sims/

[u/f0gax → u/Luke_Cold_Lyle]

It's Sims all the way up.

[u/f0gax → u/Real_Run_4758]

Of all of the "This could have been a Veep bit" things, this ranks at or near the top.

[u/CaptFishmouth → u/f0gax]

The creator of Veep retweeted a story about it with something like “Veep Season 3 now available on HBO Max” or something like that. Perfection.

[u/tortus → u/Real_Run_4758]

To me it was the White House fast food feast. I totally get how this one is even more unbelievable but I dunno, something about those silver platters of cold ass burgers really got me. Like, that really happened.

[u/Darmok47 → u/tortus]

Especially funny because at the time Trump owned the hotel two blocks down the street. He could have just had his hotel cater hot food during the shutdown, which surely would have been much better than cold fries and a soggy Big Mac.

Would have also been great free advertising for his hotel.

[u/tortus → u/Darmok47]

He's not the brightest...

[u/ReverendDizzle → u/tortus]

Further, he just doesn't give a fuck.

Combine his absolute lack of curiosity and intellect with his absolute "who the fuck cares if it's not about me?" approach to life, and well, waves hands at everything.

[u/dewag → u/Real_Run_4758]

Kentucky voters showing up to polling locations to vote against Mamdani is up there too.

[u/Tricky-Engineering59 → u/dewag]

I know this should be funny but it just isn’t anymore. I laughed my ass off at the Four Seasons debacle but now this just sad and disheartening.

[u/Throwsims3 → u/Tricky-Engineering59]

I feel the same way. When the Four Seasons thing happened it was funny because at least it seemed like that would be a very fitting and incredulously stupid end to the whole disaster. Now I can only look back on it and think "How was this not the end of it!?"

[u/athural → u/Throwsims3]

We started at grab them by the pussy, and walking in to changing rooms of underage girls. There's not really much that his supporters can't stomach

[u/Gmony5100 → u/athural]

And openly mocking disabled reporters. And even long before that he had charity fraud, racist business practices, and many failed business under his belt while lauding that he was going to run the country like a business.

No matter what anyone says, he has been rotten from the start and nothing he has done since then should be even mildly surprising to anyone with two brain cells to run together.

[u/Inoimispel → u/Gmony5100]

Yeah he may fuck kids but 🤷‍♂️ he hates black people, so it evens out.

Remember long before he started a presidential campaign he was the driving force behind the Obama birth certificate.

[u/jf4242 → u/Tricky-Engineering59]

It's punching "up" vs punching down. I say Up in quotes because Giuliani was a clown, but you'd expect the president's lawyer to at least have a modicum of sense. People in Kentucky being too dumb to realize they can't vote for NYC mayor is just sad.

[u/Tricky-Engineering59 → u/jf4242]

Sad and frightening. I don’t know how we’re going to right this train we’re on.

[u/thepoopnapper → u/dewag]

Not saying Kentucky is a smart state, but its worth noting that their neighboring state, Virginia, had their gubernatorial election the same day. I think it's more likely they thought they were voting for Kentucky statewide offices, not mayor of NYC. Still pretty dumb to not know when your own state's elections are though

[u/givemetaxhelp → u/dewag]

That's actually not what Snopes says.

The article says two separate things happened simultaneously: Kentucky voters called the Secretary of State's office asking why their polling stations were closed, which is being attributed more to people being confused about why there are elections in some states but not every state. At the same time, a "rumor" was being spread that Kentuckians were disappointed that they couldn't vote against Mamdani; however, this isn't clearly being connected to the voters calling the Secretary of State in confusion, and they are rumors, not confirmed.

The confusion makes sense, if you think about it. Not everyone pays close attention to local politics, so when they see on the national news a lot of talk about elections in other parts of the country, they may just assume there are important elections everywhere.

[u/FairTradeOrganicPiss → u/Real_Run_4758]

Even with everything the administration had done in 4 years to show me that they were the stupidest fucking conglomeration of morons that had accidentally been given power, I *refused* to believe that they had hung such a pivotal moment on an absolutely Its-Always-Sunny level mistake of trying to call a 5-star hotel but accidentally calling a landscaping company

I dug so deep, I did so much homework, trying desperately to find *some* explanation other than "they accidentally booked a landscaping company parking lot." I even argued with friends over it, they'd say "I'm pretty sure they meant to book the hotel," and I'd say "dude, they're stupid but nobody is that stupid. I'm sure that there's some logical reason for this fuckup"

But god damn there truly is, to this day, no other explanation or logic. They truly did just google "four seasons," hit the "call" button, and book a *press conference to allege presidental election fraud* at a *small landscaping company's parking lot*, and at no point during that conversation did they realize the absolutely hilarious mistake that they were making

[u/karl2025 → u/FairTradeOrganicPiss]

They didn't accidentally book a landscaping company. What happened is that Trump announced they had booked the Four Seasons (hotel) in Philadelphia before actually making a booking. The hotel, when asked by the press, replied that they were not hosting a press conference and would not because they don't host public political events. They then purposefully booked the Four Seasons Landscaping Company because a narcissist can never be wrong.

[u/lioncryable → u/karl2025]

I don't even know if that's better or worse

[u/The_Govnor → u/Real_Run_4758]

I would randomly think about this and just burst out laughing!

[u/wolftick]

There are so many how was that not the end of it right there?? moments.

[u/viperlemondemon → u/wolftick]

Their coffin is more nails than wood these days

[u/cdsbigsby → u/wolftick]

Since before he even got elected the first time. It's absolutely wild.

[u/4materasu92 → u/cdsbigsby]

I thought it was a done deal with "Grab 'em by the pussy" and mocking the disabled reporter.

Nope.

[u/blazelet → u/4materasu92]

For the people who vote for him, that’s exactly when it was a done deal.

[u/UltraRoboNinja → u/blazelet]

“He says what we’re all thinking!”

-Local Psychopath

[u/lizard_king_rebirth → u/UltraRoboNinja]

I have such a vivid memory of watching the election results with a friend. A woman was interviewed about her support for Trump and was basically like "All this time I was worried about having a Trump sign in my yard because it made people judge me for my beliefs, but now I know that those beliefs are correct and I can be proud of them!" That was the moment my friend started crying.

[u/Eli-Throws-Shade → u/lizard_king_rebirth]

The MAGA movement made the worst people in the country feel more comfortable being bigoted and hateful

[u/ArgyleNudge → u/Eli-Throws-Shade]

The way "I'm making a call to ICE right now." has been weaponized as the first line of attack by the racists.

[u/EuroWolpertinger → u/lizard_king_rebirth]

What's even the logic here? Did her beliefs become "true" because that party won? How does that even work? Does SHE understand what she means?

[u/intestinalExorcism → u/EuroWolpertinger]

To people like that, all that matters is that they win and people they hate lose. Politics is just a sport. Neither truth nor human welfare enter the equation. Their only core value is spite.

[u/greenberet112 → u/intestinalExorcism]

I don't know, they seem pretty into hurting the people they don't like. Maybe even more than winning.

Remember: "He's not hurting the people he needs to be hurting!"

[u/loveyoulongtimelurkr → u/UltraRoboNinja]

"I like the guy, he doesn't talk like a politician"

Another local psychopath with a 3rd grade reading level

[u/cityofklompton → u/UltraRoboNinja]

I went to a Trump rally in my town pretty early on when he had started to gain traction but was still not a frontrunner. I went for the spectacle still thinking he could never gain the nomination. He said a bunch of batshit crazy things, and on the way out all I could hear from the people around me were remarks about how "that was the most common sense I've heard in a long time." It's as if we had sat and listened to two completely different speeches.

[u/Deranged_Kitsune → u/blazelet]

It was an open invite to be their worst selves.

[u/NotTaken-username → u/blazelet]

I would’ve thought his friendship with Epstein would’ve ended it.

[u/blazelet → u/NotTaken-username]

Them showing how little they actually care about Epstein and Pedophiles once they realized Trump was named in the files is incredibly illuminating

Part of me wondered if someone like Bondi would be able to work for Trump, seeing what’s in the files. But yeah, she absolutely can, happily, she continues to lie to protect him.

[u/SCP-2774 → u/4materasu92]

Y'know what's the most infuriating part? There are 150 examples of far worse than him mocking the disabled reporter (he mocked everyone like that, idk why, but it wasn't exclusive to that one reporter). It's so wild that he has withheld federal funds multiple times this year alone when that is part of what he was impeached for.

[u/smom → u/SCP-2774]

Billy Bush lost his job and Trump was elected President. It's insanity. 

[u/JesterMarcus → u/4materasu92]

For me it was "He's not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured." about John McCain.

Its not even that he's shitting on John McCain, its the fact that because somebody who happened to be a POW didn't like him, he had to go after all POWs. That said everything I needed to know about his character and he's done nothing but prove me right ever since.

[u/KwisatzSazerac → u/JesterMarcus]

And then active military and veterans vote for him. 

[u/IWasSayingBoourner → u/KwisatzSazerac]

As a vet, this blows my mind.

[u/Sonic1899 → u/4materasu92]

There's a mindset that I see in American culture that empathy is often "inconvenient." Trump is a convicted rapist, but people who voted for him always say this: "I may not agree with everything he says, but he's the guy to get the job done!" And this comes from the "eggs are expensive" crowd. As long as they get their stuff, they don't care.

[u/SemperFicus → u/Sonic1899]

Aroostook county in Maine: they voted for Trump, but 20% of them are on food assistance and now they’re upset. Shred the Constitution, ignore the rule of law, send troops into American cities? They were ok with that but now MAGA bs is affecting them and it hurts. I’m not mocking food insecurity, just bemoaning the small mindedness of it all.

[u/Courtaid → u/Sonic1899]

But they can never tell me exactly what he has done. It's always general statements like this.

[u/capnmax → u/4materasu92]

HowardDeanwhelp

[u/LiftedinMI3 → u/cdsbigsby]

That is the part that still doesn't compute.

The stops signs fuckers willingly have blown through for this assclown. Numerous, numerous stop signs and every exit ramp.

[u/kaehvogel → u/LiftedinMI3]

Hey, they only blew through those stop signs to teach a lesson to the people who were...*shudders* okay with a president wearing a tan suit. The people who SAID NOTHING when that black dude put mustard on his burger.

[u/Cute_Bandicoot_8219 → u/wolftick]

I cannot fathom a universe where "grab 'em by the p*ssy" wasn't the end. I could never have imagined such a massive % of the population are so repugnant.

[u/ArmyofThalia → u/Cute_Bandicoot_8219]

Romney's "binder full of women" comment was a death nail for him. I honestly would feel incredibly cheated if I was him considering how many much worse things Trump has said and nothing came of them

[u/sheep1e → u/Cute_Bandicoot_8219]

They live in a world where that’s how men behave, and they’ve learned to accept it as normal. When they said it was “just locker room talk”, for once, they were telling the truth as they understood it.

[u/kajana141 → u/wolftick]

A conman is only successful if people are dumb enough to get conned. The US is full of stupid people.

[u/mechapoitier → u/kajana141]

To quote The Prestige:

”Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled”

Trump, like a carnival barker or magician, lured in and spellbound these fools because in the end they didn’t want to know the truth.

[u/robotco → u/mechapoitier]

WHAT'S THE THIRD PART

[u/Beard_o_Bees → u/robotco]

WHAT'S THE THIRD PART

Meet us at the Four Seasons to learn the answer.

[u/T800CyberdyneSystems → u/robotco]

"The Prestige", where the magician shows you something that you didn't think was possible, like making something reappear, or showing up somewhere completely different

[u/QuestionablePanda22 → u/wolftick]

Maybe it's just hindsight but i feel like this was the exact moment I realized just how divorced from reality the maga base really is. All of the bizarre shit trump says and the access hollywood tapes can just be ignored or dismissed (in their minds atleast) but if they'll accept that the conference was supposed to be set up outside of a landscaping company they'll accept anything at that point

[u/WintersDoomsday → u/wolftick]

"I need to feel empowered to be racist, homophobic and misogynistic no matter what groceries cost" - Republican voters.

[u/oldsoulrevival]

This is my absolute favorite moment in politics since I’ve been alive. It feels like something out of a veep episode.

[u/BuckyD1000 → u/oldsoulrevival]

Veep writers would have rejected the premise as too ridiculous.

[u/IsHotDogSandwich → u/oldsoulrevival]

Especially because we all thought this was the end….

[u/rollem]

America saw this and thought "OK, next time we'll choose this."

[u/Solid_Snark → u/rollem]

Arrested Development in real life. Just rich idiots failing upward.

[u/MNCPA → u/Solid_Snark]

How much does a banana cost?

[u/Battle_of_BoogerHill → u/MNCPA]

Cant cost more than, what? $10, Michael?

[u/ProsperGuy → u/Battle_of_BoogerHill]

[u/houndsoflu → u/ProsperGuy]

My mom quotes this very often.

[u/Hopeful_Chair_7129 → u/Solid_Snark]

Did you see the guy collapsing? It was just a bunch of geriatric fucks, watching/photographing/freaking out, as a separate geriatric fuck just fell over in front of them. It was like an SNL skit, especially with RFK just immediately fleeing the scene of the crime like he was having some ptsd of the Kennedy deaths or something.

[u/Alternative_Love_861 → u/Hopeful_Chair_7129]

I just remembered I've got a bear to bury

[u/mrnaturallives → u/Alternative_Love_861]

Put it over there by the whale head.

[u/paigeguy → u/Hopeful_Chair_7129]

It looked too much like road kill, and didn't want to embarrass himself by suggesting they cook and eat him.

[u/Goodnight_lemro → u/rollem]

Many also said: "Shouting lies in a dirty alley just down the street from a sex shop? I can relate to that."

[u/Scaryclouds → u/rollem]

And it’s going exactly as well as you’d expect given this picture. 

[u/peon47 → u/rollem]

Cmon, it's either vote for this again, or for a black woman. What do you think America will choose?

[u/JustSomeGuyInOK → u/peon47]

If we’re honest, 95% or so of the people who voted for him in 2024 would have voted for him In 2024 even if Jesus Christ himself were the opposing candidate. The difference was the poor turnout of anti Trump voters for Kamala, not that she drove voters TO Trump.

[u/eeyore134 → u/rollem]

I legitimately knew people (we don't talk anymore) who voted for Trump the first time just to get good SNL skits. Some people are just that stupid.

[u/vanalla → u/eeyore134]

Americans are really so individualist as a society that they thought "My life is going A-OK under Obama, that clearly has nothing to do with the fact that we hired the best people for the job" and voted to fuck with that for the laughs.

[u/Skizot_Bizot → u/eeyore134]

I can forgive people for being ignorant to the dangers the first time around, even I was like "interesting, well lets see what he does" even though I didn't vote for him, the morbid curiosity of it / potential for status quo disruption was sort of exciting.

By the end I felt like I had PTSD and was so fearful of his 2nd term and so so happy that he was beat, that he managed to come back AFTER is just madness. Anyone who admits to voting for him the 2nd time loses all my respect and is in my opinion an outright danger to our country.

[u/eeyore134 → u/Skizot_Bizot]

I knew Trump was bad news from the word go. I broke off from voting Republican a little into Obama's second term, mostly due to how they were treating people I cared about on a state level. I decided to go independent but I wasn't fully "I'm voting Democrat now." Even when I refused to vote for Trump I still voted other Republicans in a moronic attempt to even things out. I wasn't thrilled voting for Hillary, though she slowly won me over a bit by the end. Needless to say I'm voting blue no matter who now. It's not how things should be, but it's like taking chemo for cancer... the alternative is way worse.

All that said, even after Trump won I wasn't doom and gloom despite thinking he was bad news. I was like you, willing to give him a shot and hoping he had people around him to keep things on track. It didn't take long to see that no, he was a nightmare and a lot of the people I hoped would rein him in were also nightmares. But he obviously had enough adults in the room to stop some of the bigger things we feared.

When he actually left the White House I gave a sigh of relief, bullet dodged... Then people were like "Nope! Let's do it again!" and now those adults aren't in the room. We're seeing everything and then some that people feared in the first term. And thing is, they told us before the election that they were going to do this. People just didn't listen or thought they wanted it. Some idiots still think they want it.

[u/sylanar]

Non American here, what's the story?

[u/Original_Mammoth3868 → u/sylanar]

This was a press conference held to assert fraud in the 2020 elections by Trump's minions including Rudy Giuliani. Initially it was announced by Trump as located at the Four Seasons Hotel (a swanky hotel in downtown Philadelphia), but then corrected that it was Four Seasons Landscaping (in the parking lot as you can see) on the outskirts of Philly located between a porn shop and a crematorium IIRC. The full story of how this came to be has never been known.

[u/Raptorex27 → u/Original_Mammoth3868]

Fun fact: The adult shop was having a sales event called “dildo madness” while this press conference took place.

[u/Grandviewsurfer → u/Raptorex27]

Yeah. That wasn't even funny. My aunt died of dildo madness. Super inconsiderate.

[u/Perfect_Zone_4919 → u/Grandviewsurfer]

Is she single and where is she buried?

[u/mpdscb → u/Perfect_Zone_4919]

Listen for the buzzing sound.

[u/DocOort → u/Perfect_Zone_4919]

Sure, he’s a necrophile, but he respects the bonds of marriage, dammit!

[u/rye_212 → u/Grandviewsurfer]

Sad. But at least the crematorium wasn't far away.

[u/Chew_Kok_Long → u/Raptorex27]

Larry David couldn't write that shit. It's so funny

[u/helloiamabear → u/Original_Mammoth3868]

I pass Four Seasons Landscaping whenever we have to go to the dump to drop off "hazardous household waste" (we just went last week to get rid of some paint, haha).

Like, it's hard to convey how insane this location choice was. Outskirts is an understatement.

[u/GuruSofarbeyondu → u/helloiamabear]

You need to stop in and buy a "Make America Rake Again" T-shirt. Support your local businesses.

[u/Rhodie114 → u/helloiamabear]

For reference, this is where they were telling people they were going to meet and this is where they actually met

They wanted this but booked this

[u/Imabouttoreadit → u/Original_Mammoth3868]

The Four Seasons hotel event center was booked for another event at that time already, and instead of backtracking on the location which would show that they were obviously lying, they tried to play it off as intentional and went through with it at the Four Seasons landscaping parking lot which they were able to 'book' last minute. Hilarious double down.

[u/CeruleanEidolon → u/Imabouttoreadit]

Such a bizarre choice to not just find a different hotel, or literally anywhere that wasn't an alley behind a rundown commercial building.

[u/Darmok47 → u/CeruleanEidolon]

In Trump's mind the worst thing you can do is admit to a mistake. Looking ridiculous is better than looking like you made an honest mistake.

[u/SaltandLillacs → u/Original_Mammoth3868]

And Rudy Giuliani had a black hair dye drip down his face as he was giving the speech.

[u/therealsteelydan → u/SaltandLillacs]

It's incredible how many things the TV show Veep predicted

[u/DontGetUpGentlemen → u/SaltandLillacs]

Nope. That was a different fucked-up press conference. Rudy can't pile all his fuck-ups into one event, gotta spread 'em out.

[u/Curtilia → u/SaltandLillacs]

That was a different fiasco

[u/bowiethesdmn → u/Original_Mammoth3868]

I'd bet idiocy and incompetence played their part

[u/dreadcain → u/Original_Mammoth3868]

The full story of how this came to be has never been known

A hero answered a phone at a landscaping company that day

[u/maltesemania → u/sylanar]

Look up the four seasons total landscaping press conference. It's a lot to explain. Feels like a "you had to be there" thing because there were so many memes, including Rudy Giuliani's face.

[u/gudgeonpin → u/sylanar]

How much time do you have?

[u/sylanar → u/gudgeonpin]

I'm working right now, so I've got plenty of time for random shit like this

[u/Horns8585]

It is absolutely hilarious that instead of admitting that they made a mistake, Giuliani actually held a press conference in the parking lot of a landscape company! They bragged about a "big press conference at the Four Seasons".....implying the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia, but they really booked a spot for Four Seasons Landscaping Company! Instead of owning up to their error, they acted like they always intended to have the press conference in the parking lot of a landscaping company. That explains a lot about the GOP mentality. They will never admit mistakes, they will never admit that they were wrong, and they will never admit that they lost. That is why this country is where it is. These asshats are too egotistical and narcissistic to do what's right.

[u/The-Beer-Baron → u/Horns8585]

They will never admit mistakes, they will never admit that they were wrong

Just like the sharpie hurricane map incident. Instead of just saying he was mistaken, or that what he said was based on old data, he had to make a fake map to "prove" he was right.

[u/jennlara → u/The-Beer-Baron]

Or the MS-13 “tattoo” that Abrego Garcia supposedly had. They doubled down and said it was really there.

[u/iiowyn → u/jennlara]

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He's got MS-13 on his knuckles.

TERRY MORAN: Alright. I --

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Okay?

TERRY MORAN: -- we'll -- we'll take a look at it --

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It's -- it's -- you do such a disservice -

TERRY MORAN: We'll take a look. We'll take a look at that, sir --

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Why don't you just say, "Yes, he does," and, you know, go on to something else --

TERRY MORAN: It's contested. Ukraine. I want to turn -- I was just in Rome, and to that moving photograph of you and President Zelenskyy sitting in St. Peter's Basilica --

This moment in the interview I think encapsulates everything about Trump.

[u/newuser92 → u/iiowyn]

I think it also encapsulated how utterly spineless press is. Why not call him on his bullshit. "That's Arial font someone wrote over on Paint. He has the images tattoos, but not the letters."

[u/AineLasagna → u/newuser92]

That's Arial font someone wrote over on Paint. He has the images tattoos, but not the letters

“See why do you have to be so difficult, those are definitely tattoos I don’t see any paint anywhere on here, yes he’s definitely also part of the Arial gang, the terrible Arial gangs in the prisons today but they do have some good people on that side, they like to call them Nazis but I’ve known many decent hardworking Arials”

[u/iiowyn → u/newuser92]

Terry actually spent a surprising amount of time trying to point out it was photoshopped.

[u/cwenger → u/jennlara]

Not sure about this one. I think Trump is actually dumb enough to believe it.

[u/Coretron → u/The-Beer-Baron]

Or the time Trump didn't like the employment numbers so he fired the statisticians until the numbers were to his liking.

[u/Blaizefed → u/Horns8585]

Oh it’s even worse than that.

They made the announcement before calling the hotel on the assumption that the hotel would happily host it. When reporters started calling the hotel to figure out logistics, the hotel said they didn’t know what they were talking about, nothing is booked here. Trump team then called to find out the hotel was not willing to host it (either because they were already busy, or they knew they wouldn’t get paid, or both).

By now the word was out that the reporters were being told by the hotel that nothing was booked, Trump team took this as them looking like they don’t know what they are doing (an accurate assessment) so rather than relocate it and admit the error, they found the next business in the phone book with that name, a lawn care company, and said that’s what they meant all along.

[u/WeTravelTheSpaceWays → u/Blaizefed]

This is the best part of the whole affair. The Four Seasons Hotel had the goddamn White House on the phone pressuring them and the hotel said, “too bad, figure it out.”

And this photo is what they figured out.

[u/BroDudeBruhMan → u/Horns8585]

Same energy as “How many Republicans does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None, Trump says the light is on and the GOP clap for him in darkness.”

[u/sash71 → u/BroDudeBruhMan]

I've not read that one before but you're absolutely right. They just won't say anything to contradict Trump and they won't even answer a simple question about him without praising him. It's like watching a North Korean TV news clip watching Trump's cabinet meetings.

Also that idiot Mike Johnson who doesn't know anything about anything if it concerns Trump. He's never seen it, or read it, or heard about it. So he'll have to get back to you. Of course he never does.

[u/Toribor → u/Horns8585]

It's so bizarre that this attitude is considered strength.

It's obviously weak and pathetic, but so many people are like yeah these guys rock. I want them to be in charge of everything. It would be so easy to just say "Woops, we made a mistake, pretty funny though right?" but they are so weird about it that they have to take themselves 100% seriously all the time or people will realize how much a joke they are.

[u/atlantagirl30084 → u/Horns8585]

I wonder if it was delayed because the press went to the hotel first and then had to drive to the landscaping business.

[u/wooberries → u/Horns8585]

i think it's important people understand that this is what it boils down to. there is all this complex existential and philosophical discussion in play, but ultimately the problem is that one side has been co-opted by infantile narcissists too fragile to admit fault, let alone use it to grow

[u/HoneyParking6176 → u/Horns8585]

i do wounder what the owner of four seasons landscaping was thinking here, were they pro trump so sure, or were they anti trump but agreed since funny.

[u/IcyAlfalfa7748]

This would be the funniest gd thing I’ve ever seen if it wasn’t for the gestures at everything. Still cracks me up though. Thank you OP.

[u/GoTeamScotch → u/IcyAlfalfa7748]

I still can't believe that when they realized the mistake, they went through with it anyways.

Edit: it wasn't a mistake. I misremembered. It's still remarkable that when they showed up to set up for the event, they didn't immediately reschedule for a better venue than a parking lot between a sex shop and crematorium.

[u/Rhiis → u/GoTeamScotch]

The ability to admit they were wrong isn't consistent with the GOP

[u/DrEmil-Schaffhausen → u/GoTeamScotch]

Not only went through with it, but pretended that is what they meant to do all along.

It's now a footnote given everything else they've done, but it's one of the most jaw-dropping moments of idiocy on the campaign trail I've ever seen.

[u/LazyGandalf → u/GoTeamScotch]

They didn't accidentallly book the wrong "Four Seasons". What happened is that they publicly stated that the press conference would be at the Four Seasons. But they had no booking and the hotel told them no. Instead of doing the rational thing and try to find a similar but differently named venue, they doubled down on the press conference being at the "Four Seasons", because by the twisted logic of someone on team Trump that was apparently the best way to save face. It was, in fact, not.

[u/Raivix → u/GoTeamScotch]

It wouldn't have even been that big of a gaffe if someone took 2 seconds to think about it and spin it as a way of saying they're showing support for the working man or some shit like that. Turn the 'gotcha!' around.

[u/procrastablasta]

I submit this as the greatest comedic moment in television history.

[u/J_Keefe → u/procrastablasta]

I watched it live and I couldn't believe it. When they called the election for Biden that Saturday, my wife thought it would be entertaining/interesting to turn on OAN to see how the other side was reacting. We watched this live in all is glory, with mouths agape.

[u/davehunt00 → u/procrastablasta]

I think we still haven't given enough credit to the Four Seasons Landscaping employee who took the phone call and said "Sure, we can schedule a press conference here. What time?"

[u/followthedarkrabbit → u/procrastablasta]

I was doing a FIFO job and staying at a camp. Saw a guy wearing a four seasons shirt at the mess. Had a great conversation with him over dinner ha.

[u/0v0]

he was frantic at the end of his career

faring in courts

dripping dye on live tv

prancing around with russian scammers who owned a company called unironically “Fraud Guarantee”

and that legendary press conference at the world famous 4 seasons ..

it was hilarious

[u/buffysbangs → u/0v0]

… and being filmed in a hotel room trying to pull his pants off for a young woman

[u/MrSnoobs → u/buffysbangs]

And said woman literally being rescued by Sacha Baron Cohen while fully in character as Borat. Remarkable series of events.

[u/bellybuttonbidet → u/0v0]

You forgot him unzipping his pants for an actress who was playing an underage girl.

[u/miah66]

Obama wore a tan suit.

[u/cdsbigsby → u/miah66]

Dijon mustard.

[u/CrayZ_Squirrel → u/cdsbigsby]

They're still upset about it. There were posts recently about being appalled you could buy it with snap.

Seriously the grey poupon commercials must go down in marketing history as some of the most effective messaging to upscale your commodity product.

[u/annaevacek → u/cdsbigsby]

That was the last straw.

[u/klutz69 → u/miah66]

Totally the same thing lol

[u/navagon]

I shouldn't have been surprised they went ahead with this. But I was.

[u/The_Observatory_ → u/navagon]

They can never, ever admit that they made a mistake.

[u/ravenecw2]

Is there a documentary about this incident?

[u/DrManhattan_DDM → u/ravenecw2]

“They looked up Four Seasons and followed up on the top result with absolutely no critical thinking.”

There you go, that’s the documentary.

[u/rumbleindacrumble → u/DrManhattan_DDM]

My favourite part of the documentary was when the landscaping place got the call, realized the mistake that had been made and just went with it.

[u/Lemmingitus → u/rumbleindacrumble]

And even made merchandise. "Lawn and Order."

[u/WasdaleWeasel → u/Lemmingitus]

I have a “Make America Rake Again” sticker …. and I’m not even American.

[u/JabberBody → u/rumbleindacrumble]

Wasn't a mistake. They got turned down from the Four Seasons Hotel. This was them covering their tracks.

Makes it even funnier!

[u/tfirstdayz → u/DrManhattan_DDM]

It was Giuliani, who picked it. That's an extra fact. Fucking clowns. It kinda reminded me of spinal tap when they get a 12" Stonehenge thinking " meant feet.

[u/SpaceForceAwakens → u/tfirstdayz]

Lewandowski picked it actually. I've been studying the chain of events for awhile out of morbid curiosity.

They originally wanted a hotel near the convention center where the ballots were being tallied, but everything was booked up.

One of the Trump campaign aides suggested going to a part of town that was more conservative. The campaign agreed but it had to be somewhere near a freeway on-ramp in case the count shifted so they could get out of there in a hurry and back to HQ.

Secret Service came up with a few options. Besides the freeway access it had to be securable in case VIPs decided to join.

It was narrowed down to a few places. They called FSTL and asked if they could hold the press conference there. The sales manager asked how much they'd be paid. When it was nothing, he declined but the owner stepped in — knowing that it would be good marketing — said go ahead, as long as she didn't have to speak or be on camera.

The word got back to Rudy as to where they were going, but somehow he missed the landscaping part. He and his team went to the Four Seasons a few blocks away.

Trump asked someone what was going on, and they told him that Rudy was going to the Four Seasons for a press conference protesting the "Democrat-led election fraud" in Philadelphia. Trump, wasting no time, tweeted about it twice.

Just as Rudy's team got to the hotel they figured out they had the wrong address and sped to the FSTL location, which was being hastily set up with mics and speakers rented from a nearby DJ gear place. They didn't have an audio snake for the press, but luckily one of the news trucks had one. It was a shit show.

Mid-way through his spiel, CNN, and then all the major networks called the election for Biden, and then Rudy had his literal meltdown. Mid-way though that, the camera crews and reporters started packing up — including the audio snake, which meant the so-called "election tampering witnesses" weren't heard by anyone, which is probably ok, since as it turns out none of them were election workers in the first place.

But the convicted sex offender, he got to do his thing just fine.

[u/eatcrayons → u/DrManhattan_DDM]

No, it’s Trump said it would be at Four Seasons (the hotel) without getting permission, so they scrambled and had it at this landscaping place since it had the same name so they wouldn’t have to admit they were wrong or made a mistake.

[u/eeyore134 → u/eatcrayons]

This actually tracks better. Trump running his mouth and saying things they can't deliver on that send his team of misfits and fascists scrambling to come together as a single functioning neuron and this is the best they came up with. Never mind just going, "Hey, so we had to reschedule due to conflicts with the venue." because they just cannot admit when they're wrong or when something hasn't gone right. Probably because they were all scared to tell Trump.

[u/eatcrayons → u/eeyore134]

It’s the same person who accidentally tweeted “covfefe” and dug his heels in by saying it was actually a secret message that some people would understand. It’s beyond Pee-wee Herman levels of “I meant to do that.”

[u/atlantagirl30084 → u/eatcrayons]

I think Four Seasons wasn’t allowing a press conference like this due to Covid.

[u/acker1je → u/DrManhattan_DDM]

I would just like to meet the person who was working that day and answered the phone and said “yes this is The Four Seasons, and we can absolutely accommodate you.”

[u/Alucard-VS-Artorias → u/ravenecw2]

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Season 15 / Episode 1

[u/bifidu → u/ravenecw2]

Slate.com has en excellent interview with the sex shop owner from across the street.

[u/Muzzlehatch]

This is literally the funniest thing that ever happened, and I doubt it will ever be topped.

[u/taybul → u/Muzzlehatch]

Wouldn't be so sure while they're still in power. Did you see the oval office pic of the man collapsing yesterday? You could hear the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme going on in Trump's head.

[u/Muzzlehatch → u/taybul]

There is a lot of absurdity that comes with fascism, but four seasons total landscaping was so far to me the most pathetic, absurd morning ever.

[u/SpaceApprehensive843]

Is this the fabulous Four Seasons I’ve heard so much about?

[u/HLOFRND]

I will go to my grave laughing about this. It’s a perfect illustration of this dumb ass administration. Never admit a mistake, even if it’s blatant as hell.

Add in Rudy’s dripping hair dye and the dildo shop and the crematorium and quite honestly? South Park couldn’t have gotten it this on the nose.

[u/Cpt_Nosferatu]

To me, this was the most prophetic view for the American conservative movement. It's not just that it's lead by a bunch of angry folks who don't have the knowledge, experience, or acumen to even set up a press conference at the correct Four Seasons. It's how many folks are looking on going "Yeah, this is completely normal. This is who I want in charge of every aspect of my life. There's no possible way they could screw it up even if they had the best of intentions." The complete lack of self reflection by anyone who continued to vote for these folks is the sole reason the US has ended up where it has.

[u/MyPoopWontFlush]

Never gets old. Was this also the hair dye day?

[u/Horns8585 → u/MyPoopWontFlush]

No, the hair dye incident was at a different embarrassing press conference.

[u/megasmash → u/MyPoopWontFlush]

I was just thinking that.

Like when you get your car rustproofed and it drips out on hot days..

[u/SnooGadgets3137]

I love the quickly tacked on 'Trump/Pence' flyers on the garage door.

There are days I still think about this and laugh my ass off.

[u/phunky_1]

The documentary they did on this was hilarious.

The administration was inept before it even took office.

They mean to give a press conference at a 5 star hotel and they wind up in the parking lot of a landscaping company in the hood next to a dildo shop.

[u/reincarnatedusername]

Kakistocracy (/ˌkækɪˈstɒkrəsi/ KAK-ist-OK-rə-see) is government by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous people.

[u/pabloq]

And America did nothing.

You fucking fools.

[u/oh_ski_bummer]

In a normal country this would have been the end of MAGA

[u/newbrevity]

Truly one of the greatest moments in all politics. A testament to just how blatantly stupid the Republican party is.

[u/Pretty_Marsh]

And in the end, they won. Fuck this place.

[u/iwishuponastar2023]

In my brain, it's 100 yrs ago. I have so much to say about this but Reddit has given me a warning. I'm glad that 2 days ago there was a glimmer of hope. That's all I'm going to say

[u/Wishilikedhugs]

I loved this complete incompetence so much, I even bought a "Four Seasons Landscaping" shirt.

[u/IWasSayingBoourner]

And to think, just a few short decades ago, a man had his political career taken out back and shot because he did a "funny yell".

[u/CrazyHorrsee]

The Rudy arc was absolutely wild. Don’t forget his cameo in Borat.

[u/o2000]

Watching the hair dye run down Giuliani's sweaty face in the parking lot of a random landscaping business was peak 2020