“Who The Hell Wrote That?”: Trump Baffled by “Corner Store” Phrase During Las Vegas Tax Rally; Don Lemon Blasts “NYC Native’s” Confusion

Donald Trump sparked fresh criticism this week after appearing unfamiliar with the term “corner store” while promoting a new tax proposal aimed at tipped workers.

Speaking at a Tax Week roundtable in Las Vegas, the 79-year-old president outlined provisions of his proposed “Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes eliminating federal taxes on tips and offering broader relief to service-sector employees. During his remarks, Trump listed businesses he said would benefit from tax cuts — including restaurants, dry cleaners, and “corner stores” — before pausing to question the phrase.

“‘What is a corner store?’” Trump asked aloud, reading from prepared notes. “I know what a corner store is, but I’ve never heard it described… Who the hell wrote that?”

The off-script moment quickly circulated online, drawing reactions from political commentators and media figures. Among them was Don Lemon, who criticized the comment on social media, noting Trump’s long association with New York City, where the term is commonly used to describe small neighborhood convenience shops.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for clarification.

The episode adds to a pattern of remarks in which Trump has fixated on everyday terminology. In April 2025, during a White House Rose Garden address dubbed “Liberation Day,” he described the word “groceries” as “old-fashioned,” offering his own interpretation of the term as “a bag with different things in it.”

At the Las Vegas event, Trump also referenced a recent publicity moment involving a food delivery to the White House. He recounted how a DoorDash driver, identified as Sharon Simmons, delivered McDonald’s food directly to the Oval Office earlier in the week — an incident he described as “a little embarrassing” but politically effective.

Simmons, wearing a “DoorDash Grandma” T-shirt, handed over two bags of food, which Trump later shared with West Wing staff. The president joked at the time that the moment “didn’t look staged,” while later questioning whether such a delivery had ever occurred at the White House before.

Despite the lighter tone of those remarks, Trump returned repeatedly during the event to his central economic message: that eliminating taxes on tips would boost income for millions of service workers. Policy analysts, however, remain divided on the proposal’s broader fiscal impact and whether it would disproportionately benefit certain industries.

As the 2026 political cycle intensifies, moments like Thursday’s — blending policy promotion with unscripted commentary — continue to shape public perception of the president’s messaging discipline and economic agenda.