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Here I am with my family back in the 80s at Patio Pizza, the place in Smithtown, Long Island, that Trump tweeted about today. (I’m the kid in the blue sweater on the left). 1/
The family that owned Patio Pizza used to take pictures of their customers and pin them up on the wall. Back in the day, approx. 75% of the molecules in my body came from that pizza. 2/
I didn't know the owners well, but I was friendly with them, and they seemed like kindhearted, community-minded people. 3/
A few years ago they moved into a new location down the street from the old place, and I haven't been there in a long time. Now I learn that the owner is a zealous Trumpist, who is feuding with a woman in town who objects to the Trump banner in the restaurant. 4/
So the owner went on Fox to complain. And Trump saw the interview, and tweeted about it. 5/
I can say with 100% assurance that he's never had a bite of Patio's pizza. And that he has no idea where Smithtown is, or would give a sh*t if he didn't see some opportunity to spread division and rancor. 6/
The guy ruins everything. /end
I just want to add a bit to this thread. Patio Pizza is in a part of Smithtown called St. James -- many towns on Long Island are divided into "villages" -- basically, neighborhoods that are within the town but have a bit of their own identity. /ps1
St. James was historically a working class part of Smithtown -- it was the neighborhood where the people lived who worked on the estates just across the railroad tracks in Nissequogue and Head of the Harbor (these are wealthier villages in Smithtown). /ps2
And yes, the class divide in Smithtown is literally defined by the railroad tracks. There basically is no racial divide, because there are very very few black or brown people. /ps3
In any event, I left Smithtown when I was 18, but my parents still live there and so I'm around. The town isn't doing that well -- downtown is basically moribund, and the St. James commercial district, in particular, is quite run down. /ps4
So Smithtown, and St. James in particular, fits the mold of the declining white working/middle-class Trumpist stronghold. And that is exactly what it is. /ps5
Let me try to explain why. The town grew rapidly in the 70s and 80s, fueled by people fleeing crime and disorder in NYC. When I was a kid, the place really defined itself in opposition to NYC, and, in particular, to the city's racial diversity. /ps6
I absolutely *hated* that element of the town's culture. But it explains why Trump is attracted to the Patio Pizza story. Smithtown is the kind of suburb he wants to appeal to with his rants about low-income housing and Biden "destroying" the suburban lifestyle. /ps7
And I expect Smithtown, and suburbs like it, are a pretty receptive audience for the racist, mean-spirited bullshit Trump is selling. /ps8
I'm aware that other suburbs, closer to NYC, more diverse, and more economically vibrant, are not. But that ain't Smithtown. //end
