On Saturday morning, not long before CNN, AP, The New York Times, and other sources called the election for his rival Joe Biden, soon-to-be former president Donald J. Trump announced a press conference. The Trump era has always been a weird one — among other adjectives — but the weirdness has really ramped up since Election Day, which has found the leader of the free world repeatedly being flagged for spreading misinformation on Twitter and even declaring victory in states he hasn’t won à la Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy. Sure enough, this very simple act — one of his last acts before formally losing the 2020 election — was quick to take a surreal turn.
It began innocently, with Trump announcing a presser in Philadelphia, which has become one of the epicenters of the election, with an avalanche of absentee ballots being slowly but surely counted. At first he announced the affair would be held at the city’s swanky Four Seasons hotel. He deleted that, replaced it with a correction, deleted that correction, then posted a second correction, clarifying that when he said the Four Seasons, he meant…a landscaping business called Four Seasons Total Landscaping.
Trump, a hotelier at heart, announces a press conference at Philadelphia's "Four Seasons" at 11, before specifying it's at Four Seasons Total Landscaping at 11:30. pic.twitter.com/HmTIPeukNG
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) November 7, 2020
For the record, Four Seasons Total Landcaping is located in Tacony, in the city’s northeast section — quite a ways away from the hotel, which is located in Center City, just off of the scenic Benjamin Franklin Parkway. That would be an ideal place for a president, even one on the cusp of losing, to make a thunderous appearance. Instead, Trump and reporters were going here.
https://twitter.com/delexical/status/1325089479292571648
Journalists were surprised at what the found.
Just arrived at the location for the big news conference announced by President Trump.
Slightly surreal location… not the Four Seasons Hotel but a landscaping business in an industrial estate on edge of Philadelphia… more @SkyNews https://t.co/sUtAAN6n0D pic.twitter.com/u13mBFHFaS— Mark Stone (@Stone_SkyNews) November 7, 2020
It was an interesting part of town, too.
https://twitter.com/NaveedAJamali/status/1325110063460069376
I’ve arrived at Four Seasons Landscaping. It’s next to an adult book store called Fantasy Island. pic.twitter.com/hMy9JP8X5R
— Richard Hall (@_RichardHall) November 7, 2020
The hotel’s social media team was also quick to put out a clarifying/distancing statement.
To clarify, President Trump’s press conference will NOT be held at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia.
It will be held at Four Seasons Total Landscaping— no relation with the hotel.— Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center (@FSPhiladelphia) November 7, 2020
The other Four Seasons, however, was not so forthright with the press.
No one answered the phone at Four Seasons Total Landscaping. But oh man RIP their online reviews. pic.twitter.com/LvxNd9VO1b
— Colby Itkowitz (@ColbyItkowitz) November 7, 2020
Some felt this was a perfect encapsulation of what may be Trump’s final days as leader of the free world.
https://twitter.com/justinsink/status/1325088574769868803
And others just had jokes.
Four Seasons // Four Seasons Landscaping pic.twitter.com/v0ekd6A6VR
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) November 7, 2020
Four Seasons Total Landscaping is the most 30 Rock joke of the entire election cycle
— Evan Rytlewski (@Evanryt) November 7, 2020
"Set up a press conference at the Four Seasons."
"The luxury hotel or the landscaping store?"
"Eh, either one." https://t.co/Tx2nHSBGYs
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) November 7, 2020
https://twitter.com/BCDreyer/status/1325089259972419585
Trump earlier: "Lawyers Press Conference at Four Seasons, Philadelphia. 11:00 A.M."
Trump aides: Sorry, Sir. It's not the Four Seasons hotel. It's actually Four Seasons Total Landscaping.
Trump: They're not at the Four Seasons hotel?
Trump aides: No.
Trump: Hand me my phone. https://t.co/rtT9l90Wrf
— The Darkest Timeline Numbersmuncher (@NumbersMuncher) November 7, 2020
What? How did you score that venue? When I played Carnegie Hall, I’m not gonna lie. The whole time I was on stage I was thinking, this is great but goddamnit I wish I was playing the Philadelphia Four Seasons TOTAL LANDSCAPING. 🤣 https://t.co/Sw6KOsODcc
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) November 7, 2020
LAWN AND ORDER!
It's not THE Four Seasons.
But rather some lawyers meeting at a landscaping business called Four Seasons Total Landscaping.
And he got the time wrong. Twice.
Same guy has control of the nuclear weapons. pic.twitter.com/9VwI9yOXe1
— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) November 7, 2020
https://twitter.com/tia_ms17/status/1325104921566453760
We’re almost certainly in for 2 ½ months of frivolous lawsuits from the Trump team, attempting to contest an election they clearly lost. But one person saw this Four Seasons mishegoss as a good sign.
guys i think the fascism is over if the only thing they control is four seasons total landscaping https://t.co/rlX6P9JFx3
— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) November 7, 2020
The press conference, incidentally, was scheduled for 11:30am — about one minute after CNN called the race for Biden. So there you have it: One of President Trump’s last acts before formally losing re-election was being mocked on Twitter for doing something dumb. Sounds about right.