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Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference

Coordinates: 40°01′34″N 75°01′48″W / 40.0262°N 75.0301°W / 40.0262; -75.0301
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Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference
DateNovember 7, 2020 (2020-11-07)
Time11:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
Duration37:21
VenueFour Seasons Total Landscaping
LocationHolmesburg neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates40°01′34″N 75°01′48″W / 40.0262°N 75.0301°W / 40.0262; -75.0301
TypePress conference
MotiveInform media of details of allegations of ballot tampering in Pennsylvania recounts and invalid votes cast during election
Organized byDonald Trump 2020 presidential campaign
ParticipantsRudy Giuliani, Corey Lewandowski, Republican poll watchers and assembled media

On November 7, 2020, Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City and attorney for incumbent president Donald J. Trump, hosted a news conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, a small business in the Holmesburg neighborhood of Near Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The conference was held at the company's garage door and parking lot to discuss the status of the campaign's legal challenges to the ballot-counting process in the state, where Trump's early lead over Joe Biden in that year's presidential election had shifted to a shortfall as mailed-in ballots in historically heavily Democratic Philadelphia were counted.

Shortly after Giuliani began talking to the assembled reporters, the Associated Press projected Biden as the winner of the Pennsylvania vote and thus that year's presidential election. Several news outlets characterized the event as symbolizing the end of Trump's presidency, although he had not conceded the election and his campaign's legal actions continued.[1][2][3]

Background

After Election Day on November 3, 2020, Philadelphia election officials had set up absentee ballot counting efforts in the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City, as downtown Philadelphia is known locally. The streets in the area had been filled with demonstrators supporting both candidates.

On November 5, campaign spokespeople Corey Lewandowski and Pam Bondi attempted to talk to the media just outside the Convention Center about a court ruling that allowed campaign observers to stand closer to the counting tables. Pro-Biden demonstrators nearby played Beyonce's "Party" so loudly that Bondi could not be heard.[3] Lewandowski decided the Trump campaign needed to find a venue where such disruption was less likely, in a part of the city where voters had been more supportive of Trump's candidacy.[4]

Early on November 7, Trump tweeted the location of the press conference as "Four Seasons". Shortly afterwards he issued another tweet, clarifying that the venue was Four Seasons Total Landscaping.[4] According to The New York Times, Trump's team had intended to hold the press conference at the landscapers, but the president thought they meant the upscale Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Center City. "In reality, the mistake was not in the booking, but in a garbled game of telephone," The New York Times wrote.[5][6] At 10:45 a.m., the hotel verified that the event was at the landscapers.[4]

PBS reporter Daniel Bush said an unnamed company representative told him the Trump campaign had called and said their location "was close to an exit on I-95, and was secure, and that's why they wanted to use it."[5] The local Republican ward leader told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he was not notified in advance, and that neither Four Seasons' owner Marie Siravo nor anyone in her family were particularly involved in local politics. She had expressed support for Trump on a Facebook page in August, but was not exceptionally vocal, saying "we don't need to invite him for dinner".[4]

Event

Journalists who arrived took note of the surrounding neighborhood. "It was in that part of town that every town has, where businesses which have no right being grouped together nonetheless gather due to one reason or another—usually the cheap rent" observed the British newspaper The Independent. Across the street was a sex shop and crematorium. Before the news conference began, a journalist present announced that CNN had just projected Biden's victory.[1] Giuliani also did not offer any explanation as to why the news conference was being held at this location.[4]

Around the back, in Four Seasons' parking lot, a lectern had been set up in front of a garage door papered over with Trump campaign signs in red and blue. Speakers and microphone had been installed. Giuliani and Lewandowski came in with a group of people the former identified as poll watchers who they said had been prevented from properly observing the counting procedure.[3] In reference to the poll watchers, Giuliani stated "this is only two or three of about 50 people so far that have given us statements, affidavits, recordings. We're going to have many, many witnesses."[7]

Giuliani said that Philadelphia "has a sad history of voter fraud" including ballots submitted by dead people, specifically boxer Joe Frazier and actor Will Smith's father, and that "[t]here certainly is enough evidence to disqualify a certain number of ballots."[5] A reporter interrupted to say that all of the major news networks were now joining in projecting Biden's victory. Giuliani responded by looking heavenward and striking a pose of mock crucifixion, saying, "Come on, don't be ridiculous. Networks don't get to decide elections. Courts do."[8] Giuliani also expressed in reference to Trump that "Obviously he's not going to concede when at least 600,000 ballots are in question."[9] As he spoke, some reporters began packing their equipment and leaving, before he had finished and the poll watchers had spoken.[3]

During the press conference, Lewandowski cited one case of what he said was a documented deceased Pennsylvania voter, Denise Ondick, of Homestead in Allegheny County, near Pittsburgh. According to her online obituary, she died on October 22.[10] Voting records show a mail-in ballot was sent to her two days later; on November 2, the ballot was recorded by the Pennsylvania Department of State's tracking system. The Inquirer said it was unclear whether that meant it had actually been counted.[11][7] Lewandowski said that his cited evidence was not empirical or anecdotal, and that it was hard evidence, one of many presentations of evidence that would be filed with the court.[7]

Ondick's family confirmed that she had received an absentee ballot application; her daughter said she had helped her mother, who planned to vote for Trump, fill it out two days prior to her death and the state records show the application was received the day after Ondick died. But she had not mailed the ballot in after her mother died, and she said her father could not recall doing so. She did not believe her parents would willfully violate the law. Election officials in Allegheny County said they would investigate.[11]

Aftermath

One journalist likened it to an appearance by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi driving a golf cart and carrying a large umbrella as NATO forces began bombing the country to support a 2011 rebellion. "It was intended to project perseverance and strength—it had the opposite effect."[1]

The event drew attention on social media. "Four Seasons Total Landscaping" became the 21st most-popular trending topic on Twitter,[12] the following day it was at number one.[13] Yelp users posted reviews, activating an "Unusual Activity" alert, which temporarily disabled the posting of content to the page pending investigation to determine the legitimacy of the views, and Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon mentioned Four Seasons in an appearance as Giuliani on the show's "Weekend Update" news segment.[14] The event was also criticized for prominently featuring a convicted sex offender, though Giuliani later told the New York Daily News that he was unaware of the man's history.[15][16]

Following the press conference, Four Seasons Total Landscaping posted on Instagram thanking police for their participation. "Would like to thank the fabulous Philadelphia men and women in blue making this event a safe place," they wrote. The company's Instagram bio describes the firm as a "woman-owned, minority business… that does great landscaping & perfect snow removal" and is "trying to make America green again!"[17]

Visitors came to the building to take pictures of themselves with the company gates and logo in the background.[4] On November 8, Four Seasons announced it would begin selling T-shirts and other merchandise through its website the next day.[18]

The area was recreated in VRChat by furry YouTuber Coopertom.[19][20] Two Philadelphia runners announced the charity "Fraud Street Run" for November 29, covering the 11 miles (18 km) from the landscaping business to the hotel.[21][22] Comedy writer Vinnie Favale set up a web portal devoted to the press conference.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b c Hall, Richard (November 8, 2020). "I saw Donald Trump's presidency come crashing down at Four Seasons Total Landscaping". The Independent. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Markay, Lachlan; Suebsaeng, Asawin; Stein, Sam (November 7, 2020). "The End of the Line for Trumpland Is a Poorly Rated Sex Shop in North Philly". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Burns, Katelyn (November 8, 2020). "The Trump legal team's failed Four Seasons press conference, explained". Vox. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Roebuck, Jeremy; Hanna, Maddie; Goodin-Smith, Oona (November 8, 2020). "No, not that Four Seasons. How Team Trump's news conference ended up at a Northeast Philly landscaping firm". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "US Election 2020: Trump laywer [sic] Rudy Giuliani's Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference mistake goes viral". News.com.au. Retrieved 9 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Karni, Annie; Korasiniti, Nick (November 7, 2020). "Which Four Seasons? Oh, not that one". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Rudy Giuliani Trump Campaign Philadelphia Press Conference November 7 (Transcript)". REV. November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Zak, Dan; Heller, Karen (November 8, 2020). "It began on a gold escalator. It may have ended at Four Seasons Total Landscaping". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Breuninger, Kevin (November 7, 2020). "Trump refuses to accept election results, says it's 'far from over'". CNBC. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "Denise Lynn (Ichenko) Ondick". Savolskis–Waskis–Glenn Funeral Home. October 22, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Trump legal team vows to fight on, starting with fresh lawsuit Monday in Pennsylvania". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  12. ^ Ciavaglia, Jo (November 8, 2020). "What we know about Four Seasons Total Landscaping, the most famous business in Philly today". Bucks County Courier Times. Levittown, Pennsylvania. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  13. ^ Friedman, Matt (November 9, 2020). "Man featured at Giuliani press conference is a convicted sex offender". Politico. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  14. ^ "'Vote Fraud' Witness at Rudy Giuliani's Four Seasons Total Landscaping Presser Is a Convicted Sex Offender". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Trump campaign appears to mistakenly book car park outside landscaping firm 'Four Seasons' for press conference". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 9 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ Akim, Tanya (November 8, 2020). "Four Seasons Total Landscaping Just Dropped Branded Apparel". Forbes. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  17. ^ Fenlon, Wes (November 9, 2020). "That Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle is already a VRChat hangout for furries". PC Gamer. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  18. ^ Statt, Nick (November 9, 2020). "Four Seasons Total Landscaping becomes a VRChat hangout for furries". The Verge. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  19. ^ Cunningham, Caroline (November 10, 2020). "And Now, a Charity Run From Four Seasons Total Landscaping to the Four Seasons Hotel". Philadelphia. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  20. ^ Farr, Stephanie (November 10, 2020). "Philly's Fraud Street Run will go from the 'famous Four Seasons Total Landscaping' to 'the lesser-known Four Seasons Hotel'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  21. ^ Favale, Vinnie (November 9, 2020). "Rudy Giuliani & The 4 Seasons Depress Conference!". VinnieFavale.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
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