Former President Donald Trump made headlines once again when he surprised supporters by stopping by a pizza place in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday night.[0] After giving a speech at the Lee County Lincoln-Reagan dinner, he visited the Downtown House of Pizza with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and began handing out pizza slices to the crowd of supporters. In a video clip shared on Twitter by Jason Miller, senior adviser to Trump, the former president can be seen taking a bite out of a slice of pepperoni pizza and saying, “Does anybody want a piece that I’ve eaten?”
Trump’s love of fast food is well-documented, with his former aides saying that pizza was one of the “major food groups” on Trump Force One. He even appeared in an ad for Pizza Hut with his ex-wife Ivana in 1995.[1] Trump lifted the pepperoni pizza up for the audience to see, and they responded by chanting his name. He then smiled at several bystanders before he put the slice back in the box and appeared to praise the quality of the pizza.[2]
After attending the Lee County GOP’s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in Fort Myers, Florida on April 21, the former president was involved in an incident.[3] During the event, Reps. Greg Steube and Byron Donalds gave speeches, as well as political strategist Roger Stone.[4] Trump, who is currently running for the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election, dropped by the pizza joint and began handing out pizza slices to the crowd of supporters after his campaign speech.
In a lighter moment during his visit to Fort Myers, Trump reportedly stopped for pizza and was met by a crowd. Once again, in a video, the audience could be heard shouting Trump’s name as the ex-president savored a slice of pizza. He then proceeded to offer the slice out of which he had taken a bite, to the crowd, asking them, “Does anybody want a piece that I’ve eaten?” Despite the crowd chanting his name, the invitation was too much, and they replied “No!” synchronized.[1]
While the pizza stop may have been a lighthearted moment during his campaign visit, Trump also took the opportunity to make political statements. During the speech at the Lee County GOP’s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner, he noted that he received “1.2 million more votes than your successful Governor’s campaign” in Florida during the 2020 Presidential Election.[5] He also mocked a hypothetical conversation with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, saying “‘Sir, I’d love to have your support, sir. I’d love to have your support.[5] I’m down at about three percent.[5] I’d love to have your support.[5]’ All right, let’s think about it.”
The former president has been making headlines lately as he continues to make public appearances and tease a potential run for the presidency in 2024. His recent speeches have focused on his criticism of the Biden administration and his support for conservative policies.
0. “Donald Trump Slammed After Asking Supporters If They Want A Half-Eaten Slice Of His Pizza: ‘So Disgusting'” OK!, 22 Apr. 2023, https://okmagazine.com/p/donald-trump-slammed-asking-supporters-want-half-eaten-pizza/
1. “Trump offered pizza to supporters in a Florida restaurant, asking: ‘Does anybody want a piece that I’ve eaten?'” Yahoo! Voices, 22 Apr. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-offered-pizza-supporters-florida-101444581.html
2. “Donald Trump Offering Supporters His Half Eaten Pizza Goes Viral” Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-offering-supporters-his-half-eaten-pizza-goes-viral-1796054
3. “Trump Hands Pizza To Floridians, And Twitter Users Don’t Dig His Delivery Style” Yahoo Canada, 22 Apr. 2023, https://ca.yahoo.com/news/trump-hands-pizza-floridians-twitter-041209670.html
4. “Former President Donald Trump visits Fort Myers” FOX 4 News Fort Myers WFTX, 19 Apr. 2023, https://www.fox4now.com/news/local-news/lee-county/former-president-donald-trump-visits-fort-myers
5. “In Fort Myers, Donald Trump flogs Ron DeSantis for bad poll numbers” Florida Politics, 21 Apr. 2023, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/605747-trump-lee-desantis/
