The site of the press conference, a local landscaping business, was unexpected. Many journalists and others quickly observed a comical aspect to its location, near a sex shop and a crematorium. This site selection led to speculation that the Trump campaign meant to book the upscale Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, five city blocks from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where Philadelphia's ballots were being counted. Shortly after Giuliani began talking to the assembled reporters, the Associated Pressprojected Biden as the winner of the Pennsylvania vote and thus the nationwide election. Several news outlets characterized the event as the symbolic end of Trump's presidency.[2][3][4]
The event was ridiculed by journalists and users of social media. It garnered further ridicule after it emerged that one of the witnesses who spoke at the event was a convicted sex offender.[5] It resulted in lawyers withdrawing from the legal team that the Trump campaign had assembled to challenge the election results. In response to the press conference, a Four Seasons-themed charity run was created, and the landscaping company capitalized on the newfound attention by selling T-shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with 'Make America Rake Again"—a play on Trump's Make America Great Again slogan.[6]
On November 5, Trump 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.[10] Pro-Biden demonstrators nearby played Beyoncé's "Party" so loudly that Bondi could not be heard.[4] 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.[11]
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.[b][11][12] One of the president's tweets that identifies the landscaping business as the site for the press conference reads: " 'Four Season’s Landscaping! Big press conference today in Philadelphia at Four Seasons Total Landscaping — 11:30am!' ”[13] According to The New York Times, Trump's team had intended to hold the press conference at the landscaper business 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.[14][15] At 10:45 a.m., the hotel verified that the event was at the landscapers.[b][11]
PBS reporter Daniel Bush said an unnamed company representative told him the Trump campaign had called the landscapers and said their location "was close to an exit on I-95, and was secure, and that's why they wanted to use it."[14] The local Republicanward 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."[11]
It was later revealed that an hour before the event was first announced, a Trump staffer had called the former director of sales at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, Sean Middleton, to ask if the company would be willing to host a news conference. After getting permission from the owner Marie, Middleton drove to the venue to meet with Michael Siravo, director of operations and Marie Siravo's son. The meeting lasted around 10 minutes, at which point the venue was decided on.[b][16]
Event
Businesses on State Road, PhiladelphiaFour Seasons Total Landscaping facade
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.[2] Four Seasons is on the same block as a sex shop, across the street from a crematorium, and down the road from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.[17] Giuliani did not offer any explanation as to why the news conference was being held at that location.[11]
In Four Seasons' parking lot, with help from Corey Lewandowski and Pam Bondi,[18] a lectern had been set up in front of a garage door papered over with Trump campaign signs in red and blue. Speakers and a 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.[4] 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."[a][19] Also in attendance was a personal friend of Giuliani's,[20]Bernard Kerik, who had recently received a full presidential pardon for offenses including tax fraud and lying to White House officials.[21][22]
Before the press conference began, a journalist present announced that CNN had just projected Biden's victory.[2] During the event, while Giuliani was stating how strong their case was,[19] a reporter interrupted to say that all of the major news networks were now joining in projecting Biden's victory. Giuliani asked "Who was it called by?" Sky News correspondent Mark Stone replied by saying "All the networks."[23][24] Giuliani then responded by looking heavenward and striking a pose of mock crucifixion,[25] saying:
All the, oh my goodness, all the networks. Wow! All the networks! We have to forget about the law. Judges don't count. All the networks, all the networks. All the networks thought Biden was going to win by 10%. Gee, what happened? Come on, don't be, don't be ridiculous. Networks don't get to decide elections, courts do.[1]
Giuliani also expressed in reference to Trump that "Obviously he's not going to concede when at least 600,000 ballots are in question."[26] As he spoke, some reporters began packing their equipment and leaving, before he had finished and the poll watchers had spoken.[4]
Giuliani said that Philadelphia "has a sad history of voter fraud" including ballots submitted by dead people, specifically mentioning boxer Joe Frazier and actor Will Smith's father.[27] The claims, which potentially originated from a pro-Trump blog the day before the event,[28] were quickly dismissed by Philadelphia city officials.[29] After looking into the cases of Frazier and Smith as well as a list of others, Republican City Commissioner Al Schmidt[30] told White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins that "Not a single one voted in Philadelphia after they died."[31][32] The first speaker Giuliani called up to speak about the alleged election fraud was Daryl Brooks, a registered sex offender.[5]
Without mentioning a specific amount, Giuliani also stated that "[t]here certainly is enough evidence to disqualify a certain number of ballots."[14]
Lewandowski cited one case of what he said was a documented deceased Pennsylvania voter, Denise Ondick, of Homestead in Allegheny County, near Pittsburgh.[33] According to her online obituary, she died on October 22.[34] 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.[19][33]
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.[33][35]
Lewandowski said that his cited evidence was not empirical or anecdotal, and that it was hard evidence,[c] one of many exhibits that would be filed with the court.[19] Election officials in Allegheny County said they would investigate.[33] An official complaint was never filed; the county referred the matter to its police department.[35]
Aftermath
One journalist likened the event 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."[2] Adam Gabbatt of The Guardian reported that the landscaping company's name "swiftly became a byword for politicians' incompetence".[37]
The event was also criticized for including Daryl Brooks, a New Jersey-based perennial candidate and convicted sex offender; Giuliani later told the New York Daily News that he was unaware of the man's history.[5][38]
On November 12, CNN reported that Corey Lewandowski, one of the speakers at the press conference, had tested positive for COVID-19. While Lewandowski was present at the Trump election night party, possibly making him a part of the White House COVID-19 outbreak responsible for at least three other diagnoses, he said he may have caught it while in Philadelphia, without specifying Four Seasons Total Landscaping as the site of his infection.[39]
On November 14, Politico and The Independent reported that many of the lawyers the Trump campaign had spent months recruiting prior to the election decided to withdraw as a result of the press conference, undercutting the Trump campaign's legal strategy for challenging the election results that they had meticulously planned for months.[40][41]
According to a review of Trump campaign financial disclosure reports by NBCLX, there was no payment made to Four Seasons for facility rental based on expenses for October 15 through November 23 reported by the campaign or related political action committees (PACs), Trump Victory and Save America.[42]
Olivia Nuzzi, of New York magazine, published an extensive report about the event that involved "more than 37 sources spread throughout the White House, the Trump campaign, the president's network of advisers both formal and informal, the Republican Party, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."[43]
After FBI agents raided Giuliani's apartment and office on April 28, 2021, Four Seasons posted a meme on Twitter with the caption "Wrong apartment. We kicked him out months ago."[44][45]
Public reaction
CNN reported that the event was "widely ridiculed".[46] It drew humor and parody on social media, where it was assumed the Trump campaign had simply made a mistake with the booking,[47][48] and it was compared to similar mishaps in the political satire series Veep and The Thick of It.[49] "Four Seasons Total Landscaping" became the 21st most-popular trending topic on Twitter;[50] the following day it was at number one.[51]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.[52] Visitors came to the building to take pictures of themselves with the company's gates and logo in the background.[11]
The area was recreated in VRChat by YouTuber Coopertom,[53][54] while others created mock Lego sets.[55][56]
Two Philadelphia runners, Chip Chantry and Jeff Lyons of the Junk Miles with Chip & Jeffpodcast,[57] announced the charity "Fraud Street Run" (a pun on the city's annual Broad Street Run) for November 29, covering the 11 miles (18 km) from the landscaping business to the hotel.[58][59] Later, the organizers decided to make it a virtual run, as they did not believe it was possible to maintain social distancing during the event. The 2,100 participants from around the world were to run anywhere they chose that day, including the planned course, and upload a picture of themselves running to social media.[60] The event proved to be more popular than anticipated,[61] eventually raising nearly US$63,000 for the food bankPhilabundance.[62][63] The race was held for a second time on November 6, 2021, with a route from the Four Seasons Hotel to Four Seasons Total Landscaping.[64][65] The "Fraud Street Bike Ride" was organized by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia to provide additional donations and included a bike-friendly route using bike lanes and multi-use paths along the Delaware River.[66]
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.[69] 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!"[69] Four Seasons Total Landscaping also clarified that it was not attempting to make a political statement by hosting the Trump campaign.[16] On November 8, Four Seasons announced it would begin selling T-shirts and other merchandise through its website the next day.[70] Some of the items for sale featured wording based on Trump slogans, such as Make America Rake Again and Lawn and Order![71] Just three weeks later, over 30,000 shirts had been sold.[72] Merchandise sales, including T-shirts, Christmas sweaters, and face masks, totaled to approximately US$1.3 million.[16] The company also created a virtual background for use in the video conferencing software Zoom.[73]
Speaking at the start line of the Fraud Street Run, director of sales, Sean Middleton, said "We're from Northeast Philly, we can laugh at ourselves," and "For us to come out and make a political statement as Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Northeast Philly was never our intent."[74] In an interview with Business Insider a month after the event, Middleton said they were still receiving calls from major media outlets worldwide.[75]
Four Seasons Total Landscaping planned to host a surf and turf gala on May 8, 2021, in order to benefit four ALS-related charities that were unable to do any fundraising activities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the event was rescheduled to September 25, 2021, and subsequently cancelled.[76][77] The idea for the event came from Larry Kaplan, a West Chester-based volunteer who in 2016 raised nearly US$100,000 by doing the Ice Bucket Challenge.[76]
On July 30, 2021, Four Seasons Total Landscaping announced 'Lawn Jawn', a craft beer with a label depicting the press conference.[78]
Artist Tracey Snelling created a multimedia diorama model of the site and neighboring businesses, which includes video from the event as well as clips of Giuliani's controversial appearance in the mockumentary Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.[91][92]
A Fiverr commercial featuring Four Seasons' owner Marie Siravo aired during Super Bowl LV.[93]
On August 21, 2021, punk rock musician Laura Jane Grace played a concert at the venue to a sold out crowd of 200 people.[94][95] The concert was potentially going to be cancelled due to zoning and permitting issues, but they were resolved.[96]
A documentary about the press conference, entitled Four Seasons Total Documentary, was aired on MSNBC on November 7, 2021.[97]
When Giuliani appeared on the seventh season of The Masked Singer in 2022, one of the clues for the judges about his identity was a list of the four seasons, a reference to the press conference's location.[98]
^ abThe only people to speak out of the group of poll watchers were: Daryl Brooks, Matt Silver, and Lisette Tarragano.[1]
^ abc
Timeline of notable moments (all times are EST and begin in the morning of November 7, 2020):
8:45 – Sean Middleton, director of sales at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, gets a call from a Trump staffer surveying areas along the I-95 corridor, asking if the company would be willing to host a news conference.[99][100]
9:30 – Four Seasons Total Landscaping staff meet with the Trump team to assess the venue.[100]
9:35 – Donald Trump posts a tweet, but then deletes it 5 minutes later at 9:41: "Lawyers Press Conference at Four Seasons, Philadelphia. 11:00 A.M."[101][102]
9:40 – At the venue, the Trump team confirms that Four Seasons Total Landscaping is "the perfect location” for the conference.[100]
9:43 – Trump replies to the previous tweet with a clarification, but then deletes 1 minute later at 9:45: "Four Season's Landscaping!"[101][103]
9:45 – Trump tweets: "Big press conference today in Philadelphia at Four Seasons Total Landscaping — 11:30am!"[101][104]
10:00 – Trump tweets, but then deletes 6 minutes later at 10:06: "Lawyer's Press Conference at Four Season's Landscaping, Philadelphia. Enjoy!"[101][105]
10:45 – Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia tweet a clarification: "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."[106]
^Stone, Mark (November 9, 2020). "US election result: Pennsylvania - the state which reflects a divided America". Sky News. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020. I spotted Pam Bondi, the former Attorney General of Florida and close to Mr Trump. She and Corey Lewandowski, Mr Trump's 2016 campaign manager, appeared to be helping other staff to rearrange the company's landscaping equipment to make way for a podium.
^"Rev Transcription Editor". Rev. Retrieved November 22, 2020. Joe Frazier is still voting here. ... Will Smith's father has voted here twice since he died.
^Cheung, Helier (November 10, 2020). "The late Smokin' Joe Frazier did not vote in 2020". BBC News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020. It's not clear where this story came from originally, but an article about Mr Frazier and Mr Smith appeared in a pro-Trump blog on 6 November. The author claimed to have seen records not publicly accessible.
^Sadeghi, McKenzie (November 14, 2020). "Fact check: No evidence vote was cast in Joe Frazier's name". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General told the Associated Press in a statement this week that, "The court found no deficiency in how PA maintains its voter rolls, and there is currently no proof provided that any deceased person has voted in the 2020 election."
^Bennett, Max (November 11, 2020). "Philly Officials Dispel Rumors Of Dead People Voting". Patch. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020. CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins tweeted that [City Commissioner Al Schmidt] said officials looked up each allegation of deceased residents voting. "Not a single one voted in Philadelphia after they died," Schmidt said.
^"Denise Lynn (Ichenko) Ondick". Savolskis–Waskis–Glenn Funeral Home. October 22, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
^ abPatkin, Abby (November 13, 2020). "Fact check: Claim that Pennsylvania case is proof of 'dead people' voting is under investigation". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020. In an email, Allegheny County Communications Director Amie Downs told USA TODAY that although no one has filed an official complaint or report regarding this particular instance of alleged voter fraud, the county has referred the matter to Allegheny County Police for investigation due to the attention Ondick's story has received.
^Caroline, Kelly (September 18, 2019). "Lewandowski: 'I have no obligation to be honest with the media'". CNN. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020. Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said he has "no obligation" to tell the truth to the media while acknowledging that he had not told the truth when asked earlier this year about his interactions with President Donald Trump.
^Gabbatt, Adam (December 2, 2020). "Tourists flock to Four Seasons Total Landscaping after Giuliani debacle". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020. Four Seasons Total Landscaping, which is memorably located next to a sex shop, swiftly became a byword for politicians' incompetence and a source of hilarity after the press conference
^Pransky, Noah (December 4, 2020). "Trump's Four Seasons Total Landscaping Bill: On the House". NBC Philadelphia. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020. An NBCLX review of the president's post-election campaign filings, submitted to the Federal Election Commission Thursday night, revealed no payment to Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philadelphia
^Vanderhoof, Erin (November 9, 2020). "Thank God We're Still Talking About Four Seasons Total Landscaping". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020. On Saturday, as people in cities around the world celebrated the end of Donald Trump's presidency, Twitter's 21st most-popular trending topic was "Four Seasons Total Landscaping".
^
Owen, Gareth (November 22, 2020). "Four Seasons Total Landscaping - In LEGO!". eBay. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020. Build your own scene at home with these instructions, and remember this iconic (and ironic) scene in Lego style!
^"Junk Miles with Chip & Jeff". JunkMilesShow.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020. Chip and Jeff have a podcast where they chat about comedy, music, movies, running, pets, and other assorted nonsense. ... Chip Chantry is a professional comedian, writer, and grandson. Follow @ChipChantry. ... Jeff Lyons is executive producer of "Nephew Swap." Follow @usedwigs.
^Chantry, Chip; Lyons, Jeff (December 7, 2020). "Lowest-Rated Hallmark Movies and Non-Denominational Holiday Songs". Junk Miles with Chip & Jeff. Episode 36. Event occurs at 15:18. Retrieved December 17, 2020. Final tally, the incredibly generous people who donated directly to Philabundance have raised $54,471 ... and t-shirt sales proceeds, we are going to chip in another $8,200. So the final campaign total donation by the amazing people supporting the Fraud Street Run; $62,671
^LoBasso, Randy (November 23, 2020). "Bike the 'Fraud Street Run'!". Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
^Gunts, Edward (November 16, 2020). "Petition calls for Four Seasons Total Landscaping to be named to the National Register of Historic Places". The Architect's Newspaper. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020. Should the Four Seasons Total Landscaping be added to the National Register of Historic Places? More than 2,000 people apparently think so, because they've signed a petition recommending that the landscaping company's home in northeast Philadelphia be recognized for the brief but significant role it played in the 2020 presidential election.
^Smith, David (December 6, 2020). "Could the Donald Trump presidential library – or theme park – lie ahead?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020. Last month Michael Beschloss, a presidential historian, invited his Twitter followers to suggest potential locations for a Trump presidential library. The responses included a federal prison, North Korea, Moscow, an outdoor toilet and Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philadelphia.
^Therrien, Alyssa (November 10, 2020). "Host your next Zoom conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020. The landscaping company took to Twitter to announce that they were creating merch before releasing a Zoom background that'll have you feeling like you're a part of the Trump administration.
^Crump, James (December 6, 2020). "SNL mocks Giuliani with sketch about voter fraud claims". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020. McKinnon's Giuliani then ended SNL's opening sketch by reiterating that he will not give up the fight to overturn the election result and referenced his now infamous press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Pennsylvania.
^
Pallotta, Frank (December 6, 2020). "'SNL' returns with 'Rudy Giuliani' and his witnesses contesting the election". CNN. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020. McKinnon's Giuliani said. 'And if you liked what you saw here today, we're giving a press conference right after this at the Ritz-Carlton... Plumbing and Heating Supply Company.'
^
Henninger, Danya (December 12, 2020). "Four Seasons Total Landscaping becomes high-end diorama art in Berlin". Billy Penn. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020. 'Four Seasons Total Landscaping and Fantasy Island Adult Books 2020' (wood, plaster, paint, metal, lights, lcd screen, media player, speakers, transformer) ... Inside windows built into the Four Seasons' parking lot wall, a video of the actual press conference plays, interspersed with scenes of "Borat," the Sasha Baron Cohen movie that caught Giuliani shoving his hands down his pants. ... And now it's been commemorated in a piece of conceptual artwork that will sell for up to $15,000 on the other side of the Atlantic.
^ abcdMitchell, Thomas (November 12, 2020). ""Make America Rake Again!" In A World Exclusive, Icon Interviews The Manager of Four Seasons Total Landscaping". ICON. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020. "I got a call from Trump's people on my cell phone at 8:45 am, and they asked me if they could visit our parking lot here to see if it might work for a press conference," recalls Sean [Middleton]. ... "I met with Trump team members at 9:30 am, and within ten minutes, they confirmed with me that Four Seasons Total Landscaping was the perfect location." ... Shortly before 11 am, Trump's lawyer-turned-fixer-turned-Borat-star Rudy Giuliani arrived. "Rudy set up a war room in our front office, and he was going over his talking points," says Sean.
