Jose Andres accused President Donald Trump of peddling a lie by claiming half of Washington, D.C., restaurants closed because of violent crime and warned that deportation policies and troop deployments threatened the industry. Andres mocked the president's comments on X and noted Trump never ate outside the White House or his hotel. OpenTable data show reservations dropped sharply after the National Guard deployment announcement on Aug. 11, with bookings falling 16 percent that day and year-on-year drops up to 31 percent. Organizers extended D.C.'s Summer Restaurant Week and more than 200 venues joined to offset lost business. Restaurant workers report fear of racial profiling and immigration enforcement.
Celebrity chef Jose Andres accused President Donald Trump of peddling a flat out lie in claiming half of Washington, D.C., restaurants had closed because of violent crime, warning that it was deportation policies and troop deployments that threatened the industry most. The Spanish-born restaurateur, who lives in the capital and founded food aid non-profit World Central Kitchen, mocked the president's comments on X as confused and said Trump had never ONCE eaten outside the White House or his own hotel during his time in office.
Andres quote-tweeted Trump's remarks from Monday when he boasted that his administration had cleaned up crime in the capital, insisting friends of his were only now willing to dine out. Half the restaurants closed, because nobody could go, because they were afraid to go outside, he claimed. But data from OpenTable reviewed by The Independent undermine that claim, showing reservations dropped sharply only after Trump ordered his National Guard deployment earlier this month.
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