A bizarre press conference became the object of mockery on Saturday. What happened?
Summary
Rudy Giuliani and several Trump appointees held a press conference at a landscaping firm in Philadelphia.
- On Saturday, Trump tweeted that there would be a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philadelphia, PA to address the election. Earlier in the day, he allegedly tweeted and then deleted a post that the press conference would be held at the Four Seasons, not specifying the Four Seasons Landscaping Company.
- In the press conference, Rudy Giuliani, Eric Trump, and others spoke out about voter fraud, alleging that Biden had not won the election legitimately. He claimed that the Trump campaign would bring lawsuits as soon as Monday to address the fraudulent vote count.
- During the conference, the election was called in favor of Biden.
- The odd choice of venue was questioned and mocked by many, who wondered whether Giuliani and Trump aides intended to book the Four Seasons Hotel, but mistakenly reserved the landscaping business. The Four Seasons Hotel clarified yesterday that it was not the venue of the press conference, and Four Seasons Landscaping confirmed that it was the venue. The family-owned landscaping firm said that it was a non-partisan organization who would be honored to host a press conference for any presidential nominee.
- The press conference also featured eyewitness accounts of voter fraud. This received criticism because one of the eyewitnesses featured by Giuliani, Darryl Brooks, is a convicted sex offender.
- Giuliani also advertised a tip line where voters can call in reports of election fraud. The hotline was allegedly flooded with prank calls in the hours and days following the conference.
- Calls out false narratives from the conference. CNN writes that many of the claims made by Trump and Giuliani were questionable at best and false at worst. Specifically, CNN reports that the Pennsylvania Board of Elections complied fully with the laws and that the votes were counted legitimately. Politico undermines the testimony of Darryl Brooks, and the legitimacy of the entire operation, by reporting on his status as a sex offender.
- Uses inflammatory language to raise concerns about a peaceful transition of power. CBS News plays up a statement by Giuliani in which he claimed that Trump would not concede power with “at least 600,000 ballots in question,” implying that Republicans were unlikely to ever concede to a Biden win.
- Heavily mocks the suspected venue mix-up. Vox, Inquirer, Independent, and The Guardian all wrote articles poking fun at the debacle and extrapolating it to a larger issue of chaos and disorganization across the campaign.
- Acknowledges that the debacle looks like a messy mix-up, but lampoons those making fun of the issue. The Daily Mail shares tweets by people joking about the Four Seasons confluence, but reminds readers that Four Seasons Total Landscaping is a small family-owned business in Philadelphia.
- Reports heavily on the concerns raised in the conference, rather than the venue or circumstances thereof. Daily Wire writes that voter fraud is a serious threat to our democracy, and agree that Giuliani and Trump made good points in the press conference. National Review reports that Trump is right to file lawsuits against vote counters in Pennsylvania.
- Looks to the future of the election. Washington Examiner points out that the concerns raised by this election are here to stay, whether Biden assumes the presidency or not.
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© Evelyn Torsher, 2020
