An entire book could be written about this tweet and the article it does not actually link to, but going to try to keep it under two-ish, maybe three thousand words. The story in question was printed at Fox Business News on Sunday night, headlined “Trump Burger chain grows popular in Texas, controversial with critics” to which main Fox News amped up the defiance with the “despite,” lol.
FAST FEUD: An emerging restaurant chain in the Lone Star State is making waves — specifically, red ones — with a menu and décor inspired by none other than @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/plwYaNAjbk
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 2, 2025
There’s another, bigger, continuity/unit cohesion effort issue in the text of the article itself, as Fox Business News content factory line worker Alexander Hall writes in the lede “A new burger chain themed around President Donald Trump is growing in Texas, and those who don’t vocally support him find it to be in poor taste. A Lebanese immigrant named Roland Beainy reportedly opened the restaurant chain, ‘Trump Burger,’ featuring burgers branded with the president’s name, American flags, and joke items themed around his Democratic rivals,” emphasis added on the owner’s identity being contingent and unverified pending confirmation. It’s as though Hall would have picked up the phone to ask who the owner is or, if it was after hours, conducted a search of Texas business records to nail it down but was up against a deadline to get the piece up at 10 PM EDT on a Sunday.
Or Hall could’ve just searched FoxBusiness.com, the website he works for, and found the January 30th, 2025 article “Trump Burger chain expanding in Texas, owner praises president as ‘gentleman that makes peace'” in which Hall’s colleague Louis Casiano fucking interviewed Beany.
But for what Hall’s article lacks in pretty basic background information that literally could’ve been sourced from previous reporting it does bear an important contrast with other content emanating from Fox News/Fox Business News in its usage of the word “critics” in the headline.
Consider the following “reporting” from America’s number one psychological toxin:
'Wicked' star Cynthia Erivo laughs at critics of her playing Jesus in upcoming musical https://t.co/AVBow2wfXt
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 3, 2025
You could be forgiven, if you’re an ESL student who’s never seen a Fox News segment or article, for gaining the impression that the “critics” are professional journalists who review stage productions for publications concerning the fine arts. Fox News instead pasted in tweets from “Conservative Christian influencer Alexandra Lains” and “Christian pastor John K Amanchukwu Sr,” to fill that role in this instance. The latter’s February tweet on Erivo playing Jesus got a staggering 1,600 likes.
CHASING CLOUT? She’s viral online… but vanishing offline? Critics are torching @AOC for what her TikToks don’t show — what’s your take? pic.twitter.com/7C9bh94kS9
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 12, 2025
Failed New York mayor candidate Curtis Sliwa is plural “critics” of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s use of TikTok. Presumably other “critics” also weighed in, but no article compiling such criticism was linked.
'Astroturf': Critics speculate Tesla protests are not a grassroots movement, but carefully organized campaign https://t.co/1AEbOgVhzg
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 30, 2025
The “critics” cited in this article include Asra Nomani who tweeted “I know when something is AstroTurf. Fun fact: I was among the first reporters (if not first) to put the concept of ‘Astro Turf’ lobbying into the pages of the Wall Street Journal as an international trade reporter.” Nomani linked an article about the protests she wrote for the Fairfax Times in Virginia, a weekly with an estimated circulation of 129,000, where she apparently now works after departing the Wall Street Journal (circulation 3.9 million) under unclear circumstances. Other “critics” mentioned in the article include Twitter user @amuse, TrendingPolitics.com co-owner Colin Rugg, and “podcast host Joe Rogan, in a clip shared by Musk, speculated that protesters in past days were receiving money to take part in the anti-Tesla protests,” quoting Rogan at length on assertions such as “They were giving out $1,000 bucks for people to protest, I think it was Tesla. They had like the rules of engagement.”
Yet amazingly, in the case of the Trump Burger “critics” the persons referred to in the headline are actual professional restaurant critics assigned by their editors to consume the product offered by the establishment and compose a write-up on the food and experience, the first one cited being the Houston Chronicle’s Bao Ong. To call his review merely “tepid” might be a stretch. Ong opens with:
I’m waiting for my order at Trump Burger in Houston surrounded by merchandise including baseball caps emblazoned with “Trump 2024 The Revenge Tour” and red T-shirts featuring a favorite line from the 47th president of the United States, “You’re fake news!” A man with a Make America Great Again hat approaches me and asks: “Did you vote in 2016?”
No need to look Ong up, his name already indicates that he’s unmistakably Asian in appearance, which was probably the reason why the MAGA patron found it necessary to question him. Ong describes his aversion to talking about politics then how the exchange ended without incident.
The MAGA hat-wearing customer never shared his order with me. Maybe he couldn’t make out my mumbling or got distracted when his friend pointed out that they hadn’t tipped. One scoffed at tipping while the other pulled out some cash.
A chipper young woman behind the counter saved me from having to engage in more small talk when she brought out a trio of plastic baskets lined with red-and-white wax paper. We ordered the Trump Burger, Trump Tower and chicken tenders from a one-page menu advertising “Made in America” with a US flag – never mind that merchandise on sale is made abroad, including in the Dominican Republic and Bangladesh.
I decided to eat at one of the outdoor tables instead of opting for the drive-thru, which is only available at Trump Burger’s Houston location. The mini chain, which has no official connection to the president, also operates out of Bellville, Flatonia and Kemah.
Before I could take my first bite, a man asked if I could snap a picture of him and his son in front of the restaurant. I agreed. They gave a thumbs up for their photo opp and left in their Lexus SUV, which was parked next door at a Chevron, without any food.
“They didn’t miss out,” Ong adds. He did not however describe the man.
It’s the last day of Small Business Week so I decided to stop by Trump Burger in Houston!
Stop by a small business and show your support. pic.twitter.com/rEMvicdXxM
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) May 10, 2025
Or mention whether the dad had also asked his son to snap a solo photo of him in front of the place.
Still, you can start to why Fox Business didn’t like this review. Already Ong’s making Trump fans sound like cheap, miserable bastards, before he actually gets to his impressions of the food he ordered from the autocrat-themed establishment. Not good either:
The burger is serviceable, like one a cargo-short-wearing dad might serve when he’s cosplaying a Food Network grill master once a year for a holiday picnic. It’s missing the craggy edges which tells you the meat hasn’t been on a hot grill for just enough time to develop that beefy flavor. There’s no trace of char or smoke. Each bite doesn’t leave you wanting more because there’s no juiciness, and a slice of American cheese is barely melted. Barbecue sauce is the burger’s standard condiment. Fat, salt and heat — all elements I seek in a burger — are lacking.
You got the gist. Ong was unimpressed, thinks it’s mediocre, and gave it “No stars” on a five-star scale, meaning “Restaurant cannot be recommended at this time.” Fox deems it one of two “mixed” reviews, spinning it with “He also praised the milkshake for having an all-American appeal,” lol.
The other “mixed” review? About as mixed as Wyoming’s demographics.
Now that’s a headline trope commonly associated with a glowing recommendation, right? Oh wait there’s “I tried the GameScent so you don’t have to and, trust me, you don’t want to,” from PC Gamer about a diffuser that attaches to a gaming computer so you can smell the environment of the game you’re playing. “I Watched The Christian Movie, ‘War Room’ So You Don’t Have To,” reviewing a 2016 film about a couple rocked by accusations of infidelity that were hallucinations wrought by the wife not praying often enough. “I Tried These Productivity Hacks for a Month So You Wouldn’t Have To,” a 2017 ThinkGrowth.org piece whose author may or may not be a homeless heroin addict now in 2025.
So no, it was not a good, or even “mixed,” review by Eater Houston’s Brittany Britto Garley:
Every Trump Burger location tries to outdo itself in nationalist and personality cult aesthetics. Though Houston’s exterior is more subdued and minimalist, the Kemah location features a stage for live music and cocktails. The Bellville location seems most over the top: Images of Trump dominate the space, with life-size posters alongside flags, slogans, and merchandise that blur the line between restaurant decor and propaganda. A particularly jarring image shows Trump raising his fist, bloodied ear and all, after surviving an alleged assassination attempt in 2024 – an image positioned not far from shelves stocked with Trump-branded mugs, hats, and koozies.
But for all the visual noise, the actual atmosphere can feel eerily subdued. As I walked in on a recent Sunday, the tension, likely combined with our nervousness, felt palpable. Here, the vibe wasn’t festive – it was stiff, uncertain, and uncomfortable, particularly for me, a woman of color. The other diners present avoided eye contact. Even the playlist, looping music videos on wall-mounted televisions, couldn’t inject life into the space. The most excitement I saw was among families toddling around with their kids, many wearing Trump memorabilia (a boy, no older than 7, donned the shirt that read “Daddy’s Home”). It was a stark contrast to the raucous, family-friendly energy you’d expect at most burger joints.
That was the “Vibe” section. The food itself? Garley’s not a fan either, so just skipping to her closer:
If you are someone who voted for Trump and supports his administration’s many compromising decisions, this place is likely for you. If you don’t fall into that category, is the food good enough to look past its rhetoric? The chargrilled burger patties are thick but bland, topped with a waxy cheese that lacks any memorable flavor. The fries are crisp, and the meals affordable, clocking in at around the same price as you can get a burger and fries at another, arguably better, burger joint. However, for those who see Trump’s legacy differently – as a man who has deported innocent people; stoked division; subverted the Constitution; and acted against values that include equality, access, and opportunity – eating here feels like an endorsement of someone whose vitriolic rhetoric has harmed, in many cases irreparably, the people he was elected to serve.
Trump Burger isn’t really about burgers. It’s about broadcasting allegiance to an administration through capitalist, consumerist means: buying a cheeseburger. It’s a chance for Trump supporters to floridly rally behind a figure they admire. But with countless burger spots in Houston that serve far better food, Trump Burger is easy to pass up. Every bite becomes a political statement, that, frankly, leaves a bad taste.
The Fox Business News article is largely the same as the above: Copypasta of the two reviews, with the addition of a quote from a person identified only as a “Trump Burger official,” who, per Hall, said the negative reviews “aren’t surprising due to the liberal bent of some news outlets.”
“The Houston Chronicle maintains a predominantly liberal stance, so we expected nothing less than a biased take on anything bearing the Trump name,” the “Trump Burger official” said.
Now if you’re read this far down you might’ve forgotten that Fox News promised “FAST FEUD: An emerging restaurant chain in the Lone Star State is making waves — specifically, red ones — with a menu and décor inspired by none other than @realDonaldTrump” and that the nascent chain’s “a big hit with voters in Texas despite critics’ reviews.” Yeah, there’s no such actual pushback in the article itself not with “voters” or actual customers. They didn’t even bother to copy from a fucking Yelp review – which are now disabled due to lib trolls like one from Los Angeles who wrote “The burgers tasted like someone wiped their behind with the bun. The orange soda tasted like treason. And the service was rude, and moreso, really ignorant. Like, they couldn’t form sentences.”
There was a little bit of overlap with a four-star review from Kevin E who wrote “First of all. I voted for Trump 3 times…” blah blah blah “…didn’t expect much from Trump Burger but it was actually pretty good. Ingredients were fresh and the burger was cooked to my liking. Now for the not so good. There we’re [sic] no menus and I had to ask about how to order. The person taking My order spoke limited English so we communicated with my poor Spanish and her broken English. No biggie.”
Just a strong indication that Trump Burger employs at least one illegal immigrant. No biggie.
“There are only a few concrete tables outside for seating. My order took maybe 20 minutes to arrive but everything was hot and fresh. I did not like the batter dipped fries, but that is more of a personal preference. I lean more towards shoestring or plain russet fries. The ‘Trump impersonator’ was there and kept coming up to talk to me. His schtick wasn’t that funny. He seemed a bit much for a small place,” Kevin continued. Bao Ong didn’t really like the Trump impersonator either.
And there’s an example of “Despite critics” as promised and not-delivered by Fox News, a hollow cry of defiance that they could have delivered by sending a locally-based freelancer to talk to customers (sorry, “voters,” fucking dipshits) and get their reactions to the shitty reviews.
Now remove politics and walk through it as you would in any other value proposition in your life as a consumer of goods and services in a developed economy in the 21st century: The purpose of a review is to provide you with an informed opinion of a product or experience prior to you spending your time and/or money on it. A Minecraft Movie was largely poorly received by critics, landing a 48 percent score on 181 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes. However some parents – present company included – who will tell you there are worse children’s movies to have to suffer through and that the film can be pretty goddamned funny, if mostly stupid and as idiosyncratic as the game itself.
Which is probably why the audience score sits at an 85 percent. One of the negative professional reviews for A Minecraft Movie came from the Atlantic’s David Sims, who also reviewed The Brutalist, a dense and challenging drama that’s freaking 3 hours and 24 minutes long. Sims liked it.
Similarly, Eater Houston’s Garley recently wrote that a restaurant called Chez Nous “exudes a homey feel while bringing to the table an evolving menu of French favorites, including a charcuterie platter with Normandy duck mouse, pork rillettes, and smoked duck pastrami; a delightful combination of blue crab, mango, avocado, and tomato assembled into a tower; and the Bowfin caviar and egg confection dish, which features vodka-infused minced eggs with herb Chantilly.” Yeahhhh.
The point being that The Brutalist and A Minecraft Movie are both films just like Chez Nous and Trump Burger are both dining establishments, and the tastes of the professional critics in those respective fields obviously tilted toward the upmarket, “sophisticated” offerings in both cases.
Doesn’t quite help against accusations of elitism, fair or unfair, even in a world where Sound of Freedom and the food at Trump Burger suck irrespective of their political coding.
But if reviewers can be flawed, reviews – especially lots of them in the aggregate – are a reliable way to pick a movie, restaurant or whatever else you need help making a decision on.
The popular Texas restaurant Trump Burger has recently been slammed with social media comments and orders for chicken tacos. https://t.co/BqYlrA8mem pic.twitter.com/rsv2xiX6oK
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) June 4, 2025
You know what they aren’t? A validation for a decision you’ve already made. Nobody gives a fuck if you’re offended that a professional critic didn’t like a mediocre burger with fucking “TRUMP” stamped on the top of the bun, a mediocre burger YOU only like because it has fucking “TRUMP” stamped on the top of the bun. It’s not a denigration of Trump voters for a critic to find that their god’s namesake unlicensed burger restaurant sucks, and yet Fox News persists in making it one.
Or at least pretends to in a tweet falsely advertising a half-assed effort.