Chef Jose Andres calls Trump 'confused' over his 'flat out lie' that half of DC restaurants closed because of crime

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Tuesday 26 August 2025 23:42 BST


Celebrity chef Jose Andres has called out President Donald Trump for his “flat out lie” that half of restaurants in Washington, D.C., have closed down due to high levels of crime frightening customers away.

Andres, who launched the global charity One World Kitchen, said the president was “confused” and had not once eaten outside of the White House or his own hotel in all the time he had been in the capital.

It comes after Trump boasted again that his administration had cleaned up crime in D.C., telling reporters Tuesday that friends of his were now returning to restaurants. “They haven’t gone out in four years – they were petrified,” he said. “Half the restaurants closed, because nobody could go, because they were afraid to go outside.”

In a blistering response on X, Andres claimed that it was in fact the president’s actions that had caused a decline in people eating out at restaurants in the city.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jose-andres-trump-crime-dc-b2814628.html

[Brenda]

1. Thank you Chef! Keep calling it what it is A FLAT OUT LIE!

“Mr. President… I understand why you are confused...all your time in D.C. you haven't eaten ONCE outside the White House or your own hotel,” he wrote.

“I've lived here for 33 years, and it's a flat out lie that half the restaurants have closed because of safety...but restaurants will close because you have troops with guns and federal agents harassing people...making people afraid to go out.”

Recent data collected by OpenTable showed that restaurant reservations in D.C. dropped nearly 25 percent on average after Trump’s announcement that the federal government would be taking over law enforcement in the city.

[riversedge]

2. Not sure Trump was confused, instead Trump just makes up stuff to chat about.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Yup

it's his "feature" and not a "bug".

[twodogsbarking]

3. I suspect that most Americans don't eat at expensive restaurants.

Many don't eat at all.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. True. But in D.C.

they are a feature of the "political chattering class" (and K Street lobbyists).

[paleotn]

6. It's not just expensive restaurants shithead is lying about.

Magat proles out in fly over country have little concept of those anyway. This is a rehash of the tired and worn “big city cesspool “ meme directed at those who don’t or won’t know any better.

[Conjuay]

7. Oh Oh-

Chef Andres might be disappeared!

[chouchou]

8. It's bothersome insane that the one entire world truth, has come down to...

..the United States President is actually a professional liar.

[BoRaGard]

9. He ain't confused. He is the Father of Lies (r)

repubes love him for Bearing False Witness all the time, and they submissively, shamelessly follow. This is who they are. Make no mistake.

[Paladin]

10. "Confused" is much too charitable a description. (nt)

[Wiz Imp]

11. This is easily fact-checked

The Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages reports the number of establishments by industry.

Here's the annual numbers for the past 11 years for DC for NAICS 7225 (Restaurants and other eating places) As you can see, the number of restaurants in DC has not declined at all, but rather rose every year during Biden's Presidency.

Year Annual
2014 | 1826
2015 | 1896
2016 | 1915
2017 | 1939
2018 | 2043
2019 | 2103
2020 | 2115
2021 | 2094
2022 | 2114
2023 | 2202
2024 | 2233(P)

P : Preliminary.

[myohmy2]

12. Thanks Jose...

...trump is always lying, he just says he isn't and that's the biggest lie of all...

...trump wears us down with his daily bullshit to the point our brains turn to putty...

...republicans call that governing...

...