Latest news with #TrumpSteaks
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Trump Golf Club Received 18 Health Code Violations In May Inspection
One of President Donald Trump's New Jersey golf clubs received a 32 out of 100 health inspection score in May, the lowest grade in Somerset County, after it was flagged for 18 violations, including all three requirements in the 'food protected from contamination' category. Donald Trump during the 2007 launch of Trump Steaks at the Sharper Image in New York City. (Photo by ... More Stephen Lovekin/WireImage for Hill & Knowlton) The Somerset County Department of Health inspected Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster on May 6, according to the report, which is publicly available online. The club received a score of 32 out of a 100 possible points, with the inspector documenting 18 violations—nine of which were deemed critical, meaning they 'may result in an unacceptable health risk.' The club was out of compliance with all three requirements in the 'food protected from contamination' category, with violations including expired milk, raw meat stored improperly and a dishwasher that may not reach the required temperature (the first two problems were corrected during the inspection). The inspector also cited four separate hand-washing violations, including sinks without soap or paper towels, one lacking a required sign and another used to store a sanitizer bucket. The club was issued a 'conditionally satisfactory' C grade and required to display a placard with the grade in a visible location. Spokespeople for the Trump Organization and the Somerset County Health Department did not respond to inquiries. Of the roughly 115 retail food establishments inspected in Somerset County in May, Trump's club received the lowest score—32 out of 100. All but one other venue scored 60 or higher, according to a county records search. '[The person in charge] fails to demonstrate knowledge of food safety,' the inspector noted amid the volume and severity of the violations, which is a violation in and of itself under the health code. The club had until May 20 to correct the violations and now faces a follow-up inspection at an unspecified date. (If it has already occurred, the results have not been made public.) Under Bedminster's municipal code, a reinspection cannot result in a grade higher than B once a facility has received a conditional C. Trump owns the Bedminster golf club through a web of companies and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the same structure he used during his first term. Trump is the sole beneficiary of the trust, and can earn income from his businesses during his presidency. He spent more than 100 days at the property during his first term—second only to Mar-a-Lago—according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog. All retail food establishments in New Jersey, including those on private golf courses, are subject to at least one inspection per year under state law. 180—that's the minimum temperature required for a commercial dishwasher's final rinse under Somerset County guidelines. The gauge on Trump's kitchen dishwasher didn't even go that high, maxing out at 170 degrees. Trump described a Bedminster membership as 'an investment in life, luxury & leisure,' touting its 'top amenities & services' in a 2014 tweet. 'Observed household microwave in the main kitchen,' the inspector wrote. 'Must be removed. Only commercial grade equipment allowed in Retail food establishment.' Trump's Bedminster club continues to serve alcohol nearly a year after New Jersey declined to renew its liquor license, citing questions over whether President Trump's felony convictions disqualify him under state law. The club has a temporary permit, which is set to expire on June 30. Forbes estimates Donald Trump is worth about $5.1 billion, with much of his wealth coming from his shares in Trump Media. SEC Drops Binance Lawsuit Days After Crypto Exchange Lists Trump's Stablecoin (Forbes) Trump Media's $2.5 Billion Bitcoin Bet Mirrors White House Crypto Strategy (Forbes) Trump's Golf Courses Keep Pushing Legal Boundaries With Presidential Seal Markers (Forbes) Trump's Properties Charged Defense Department $1 Million, New Documents Reveal (Forbes) Trump's New Partner For Crypto Venture Is KuCoin — An Exchange Banned In U.S., Fined $300 Million For Money Laundering (Forbes)
The National
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Steak, ketchup and Arabic coffee: what Donald Trump eats on trips abroad
US President Donald Trump is preparing for the first official visit abroad of his second term, during which he will visit the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Travelling to another country can wreak havoc on an eating schedule, so how does Mr Trump handle meals on foreign visits? Mr Trump has spoken several times of his love of American fast food. Expounding on the wonders of McDonald's in a 2016 CNN interview, he called the restaurant's offerings 'great stuff'. The President is also a big fan of steak and was the face of his own meat brand for several years through 'Trump Steaks'. He reportedly enjoys his steaks well done and prefers to eat them with ketchup. For dessert, Mr Trump has been known to enjoy pie, chocolate cake and ice cream. To wash it all down, the President is apparently a big fan of Diet Coke. According to the Wall Street Journal, during his first term, he used a call button on his desk in the Oval Office that would alert an aide to bring him a can. The button was reportedly reinstalled when he returned to office this year. But what happens when he travels abroad? In 2017, during his first term, his first official visit overseas was to Saudi Arabia. On arrival, he was treated to traditional Arabic coffee alongside King Salman, who taught him how to shake his cup − the traditional technique of asking a server to stop pouring. Mr Trump, however, asked for a top-up after finishing his first cup. Mr Trump's Saudi hosts later pulled out all the culinary stops, offering the President's favourite steak with a side of ketchup alongside the more traditional chicken kabsa and gorsan − Saudi stew. Caviar, foie gras, risotto and date ice cream were also on the menu. The US President headed to Israel after Saudi Arabia, where he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At a dinner at the Prime Minister's residence, Mr Trump was treated to an American-themed spread, with celebrity Israeli chef Moshe Segev serving up sliders with rice and kale chips, as well as ketchup made from beets and aioli mustard. Salmon, red curry and a sprout salad were also served during the meal, with an array of desserts arriving on a plate featuring the silhouettes of Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu. Similar to food in the US, cuisine in the Middle East is based on one thing Mr Trump loves − meat. But what happens when no meat is on the menu? During his trip to India in 2020, Mr Trump dined with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a vegetarian, several times. A White House aide famously disclosed to CNN that they had never seen the President eat a vegetable. According to the Hindustan Times, Mr Trump turned down sampling the vegetarian menu on his first day in India, and even declined apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Meat was on the menu at a later state dinner, but it's unclear what − if anything − Mr Trump sampled. As he begins what is sure to be a series of visits overseas at the start of his second term, it remains to be seen whether Mr Trump will stick with old favourites or branch out to new experiences at the dinner table.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump's crony meritocracy could shatter US civil service
Think about this: The next time you take a road trip with your family, do you want the person in charge of highway safety to have gone to school and passed a test, or do you want them to have the job because they helped President Trump sell his famous Trump Steaks? What about the air traffic controller who's supposed to make sure your family arrives safely at grandma's house? Would you feel assured knowing they hold the position because they dutifully breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 at Trump's behest? That could be the future we're facing, because of the president's blistering hostility toward the federal workforce and determination to upend the civil service. On his first day, he moved to reinstate a plan he originally issued in October 2020 , Schedule F, to end job protections for thousands of federal workers. Schedule F wouldn't just make it easier to fire these workers — it would also make it easier to hire new ones, because it would 'exempt some positions across the federal workforce from competitive hiring procedures.' That's head-spinning, coming from the people who claim they want a 'meritocracy' in government. If you've ever applied for a federal government job, you know that these jobs aren't easy to get. Many require you to pass a civil service exam. There are intricate questionnaires asking for detailed examples of your relevant experience. Federal employee resumes can be 10 pages long. In other words, what the Trump folks want is to replace an existing meritocracy with the kind of spoils system that turns civil service into a sewer. We will not only end up with unqualified people in charge of highways and airways but a whole host of other patronage appointments, too: Justice Department attorneys picked because they can't wait to prosecute Trump's enemies, Defense Department employees who won't blow the whistle if the secretary is drunk at work. Those aren't even the most sinister possibilities. Civil service protection against politically motivated firings is a defense against the kind of terrifying oppression that exists right now in too many autocratic regimes. Do we really want to be a nation where a federal employee can be fired if someone at the White House reviews a tape of Trump's last speech and notices you didn't clap hard enough? We must not turn into North Korea, where officials keep track of who cheers at Kim Jong Un's events, and where — as one defector put it — you 'clap because you don't want to die.' Yes, that's an extreme example of the devaluation of human life in an authoritarian regime. But let's not forget that our current president reportedly said former Vice President Mike Pence deserved to be hanged by an angry mob for refusing to overturn the 2020 election. And that Russell Vought, Trump's pick to head the Office of Management and Budget and a mastermind of the federal employee purge, openly talked about wanting workers to be 'in trauma.' Seriously, what kind of person thinks that way? I fear that anyone who makes a suggestion like this might carry personal trauma so deeply wounding and unresolved that they should seek therapy, not high government office. And if you don't really believe mass firings could happen across the government, remember this: Trump's first purges of federal workers have already come with lightning speed. Last Tuesday, Donald Trump's Office of Personnel Management issued an order: All federal government staff in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) roles had to be placed on leave and their email accounts suspended, by 5 pm the next day. At the same time, all web content related to DEI had to be scrubbed. It happened so fast that State Department IT folks apparently had trouble figuring out how to delete an entire page. For a while, their page with the header 'Leadership — Office of Diversity and Inclusion' stayed up, but its content was replaced with a list of State Department staff killed in the line of duty. (It now displays 'archived content.') The effect was surreal. It was a chilling demonstration of just how quickly and completely the official erasure of personae non grata can happen under an autocratic regime. The (sort of) good news is that there will be a strong and swift legal response to Schedule F. One union sued immediately. Other legal actions may follow. Hopefully, this will become one of many rash moves by Trump that will be endlessly tied up in court. Ultimately, I hope that we, as a nation, won't stand for these attacks on our friends and neighbors. The overwhelming majority of our federal workers are hardworking, middle-class Americans trying to serve their country. They deserve to have our compassion and support, not to be abused and discarded by thugs who despise them. It's on us to say so. Svante Myrick is the president of People For the American Way. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-01-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump's crony meritocracy could shatter US civil service
Think about this: The next time you take a road trip with your family, do you want the person in charge of highway safety to have gone to school and passed a test, or do you want them to have the job because they helped President Trump sell his famous Trump Steaks? What about the air traffic controller who's supposed to make sure your family arrives safely at grandma's house? Would you feel assured knowing they hold the position because they dutifully breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 at Trump's behest? That could be the future we're facing, because of the president's blistering hostility toward the federal workforce and determination to upend the civil service. On his first day, he moved to reinstate a plan he originally issued in October 2020, Schedule F, to end job protections for thousands of federal workers. Schedule F wouldn't just make it easier to fire these workers — it would also make it easier to hire new ones, because it would 'exempt some positions across the federal workforce from competitive hiring procedures.' That's head-spinning, coming from the people who claim they want a 'meritocracy' in government. If you've ever applied for a federal government job, you know that these jobs aren't easy to get. Many require you to pass a civil service exam. There are intricate questionnaires asking for detailed examples of your relevant experience. Federal employee resumes can be 10 pages long. In other words, what the Trump folks want is to replace an existing meritocracy with the kind of spoils system that turns civil service into a sewer. We will not only end up with unqualified people in charge of highways and airways but a whole host of other patronage appointments, too: Justice Department attorneys picked because they can't wait to prosecute Trump's enemies, Defense Department employees who won't blow the whistle if the secretary is drunk at work. Those aren't even the most sinister possibilities. Civil service protection against politically motivated firings is a defense against the kind of terrifying oppression that exists right now in too many autocratic regimes. Do we really want to be a nation where a federal employee can be fired if someone at the White House reviews a tape of Trump's last speech and notices you didn't clap hard enough? We must not turn into North Korea, where officials keep track of who cheers at Kim Jong Un's events, and where — as one defector put it — you 'clap because you don't want to die.' Yes, that's an extreme example of the devaluation of human life in an authoritarian regime. But let's not forget that our current president reportedly said former Vice President Mike Pence deserved to be hanged by an angry mob for refusing to overturn the 2020 election. And that Russell Vought, Trump's pick to head the Office of Management and Budget and a mastermind of the federal employee purge, openly talked about wanting workers to be 'in trauma.' Seriously, what kind of person thinks that way? I fear that anyone who makes a suggestion like this might carry personal trauma so deeply wounding and unresolved that they should seek therapy, not high government office. And if you don't really believe mass firings could happen across the government, remember this: Trump's first purges of federal workers have already come with lightning speed. Last Tuesday, Donald Trump's Office of Personnel Management issued an order: All federal government staff in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) roles had to be placed on leave and their email accounts suspended, by 5 pm the next day. At the same time, all web content related to DEI had to be scrubbed. It happened so fast that State Department IT folks apparently had trouble figuring out how to delete an entire page. For a while, their page with the header 'Leadership — Office of Diversity and Inclusion' stayed up, but its content was replaced with a list of State Department staff killed in the line of duty. (It now displays ' archived content.') The effect was surreal. It was a chilling demonstration of just how quickly and completely the official erasure of personae non grata can happen under an autocratic regime. The (sort of) good news is that there will be a strong and swift legal response to Schedule F. One union sued immediately. Other legal actions may follow. Hopefully, this will become one of many rash moves by Trump that will be endlessly tied up in court. Ultimately, I hope that we, as a nation, won't stand for these attacks on our friends and neighbors. The overwhelming majority of our federal workers are hardworking, middle-class Americans trying to serve their country. They deserve to have our compassion and support, not to be abused and discarded by thugs who despise them. It's on us to say so.
