Let’s stop making excuses for the ex-POTUS and remember a big reason the unethical and unconstitutional shot mandates & coercion were even possible
I told myself I wasn’t going to Substack about Donald Trump or the presidential election, but that was before my e-friend Stinson Norwood posted literal gold:
Trump Tower in New York City – site of an unexplained and unsubstantiated mass casualty event in spring 2020 – going along with the unethical (if not illegal) vaccine passport mandate.
Before I comment further on that unfortunate acquiescence, some background & “disclosures” are in order:
- I understand that every Presidential election is something of a forced dilemma and remain a fan of the “two-party system”.
- I’ve lived in the Chicago area of Illinois for all except two years of my life – which means I am no stranger to voter fraud and rigged elections. (“Vote early, vote often!” is less of a joke than a longstanding directive.)
- I do not hold people’s voting record against them. I have friends and family who are voting Trump, voting Harris, don’t know what they’re going to do, or say they will abstain. Breaking fellowship with people in real life over their ballot box selections is silly.
- I opposed vaccine passports in real time and was doing work for Liberty Justice Center in Chicago when they filed a lawsuit against Chicago’s mandate, and in the wake of the 5th circuit November 2021 order to the Biden administration regarding the federal OSHA mandate, which SCOTUS eventually struck down. A friend of mine was a plaintiff on that case, and I contributed data analysis to an expert witness statement. (Separately, I also testified as a data analyst in an arbitration hearing involving the City of Chicago’s mandate for the police force.) …and in the wake of the 5th circuit November 2021 order to the Biden administration regarding the federal OSHA mandate, which SCOTUS eventually struck down.
- I’m apprised of what NYC’s vaccine passport mandate involved/required, the extent to which it was enforced, the tough position it put business owners & patrons in, and the fact that legal challenges were not successful (which means it could be activated again).
- I grew up in a restaurant family and my spouse works in the restaurant industry and travels to New York City on business trips fairly often.
Back to the gold frame at Trump Tower, which is valuable as a historical artifact, if nothing else.
It reads,
New York City requires those who wish to enjoy indoor dining to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Those 12 years of age and older must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Those 18 years of age and older must also provide photo identification.
To find out where to get a free COVID-19 vaccine, visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or call 877-829-4692.
The policy having been posted does not mean the policy was enforced, of course, but it’s impossible to ignore the ideological conflict between Donald Trump saying he was opposed to vaccine mandates and Trump Tower displaying this requirement.
Posting about this on X yesterday invited a range of replies, many of which explicitly or implicitly defended or excused Trump – or sidestepped how unethical and unconstitutional such restrictions are.
Can you read?? It says New York City required it – not Trump Tower! Every restaurant posted it! They would’ve been shut down!
These retorts work on an emotional level for the average owner, and even larger companies to an extent. The industry was crushed by the federal government’s outrageous and unscientific determination that indoor dining was “non-essential” and constituted a threat to public health.1 Friends and family can attest to my real-time concerns in March 2020 about how a stay-home directives would impact the restaurant, hotels, theaters, and museums and other sectors of the recreational economy in Big Cities that are fed by & thrive on people physically going into work.
Most restaurants cannot survive on take-out/delivery. Owners and patrons were eager to get back to normal and get out of their apartments – whatever the cost.
I remember and I get it.
However, Donald Trump is not the average New York business owner – or even the average wealthy business owner. When the NYC vaccine passport edict was announced in August 2021, he was the Former Leader of the Free World, namesake of skyscrapers, no longer in office, and watching all manner of coercive campaigns and illegal actions related to the COVID shot.
“Never surrender!” is an inspiring motto but how does it fit with his beliefs about bodily autonomy and medical freedom, assuming he has opinions and convictions about those things?
How did The Don feel about the idea of an unvaccinated server not being able to dine in the same restaurant she works in? Were Trump Tower employees in New York (and Chicago) coerced into vaccination? That’s seems important to know, doesn’t it?
Trump said he’s going to restore and compensate military personnel who were dismissed for refusing to take the COVID shot. Good. But can he talk about where he stands on the question of whether a 13-year-old should ever need to show vaccine status to see Hamilton on Broadway? Because stuff like that happened and I don’t remember him speaking out about it in real-time. (Readers can correct me if I’m wrong.)
Let’s think about this:
- Who was in the BEST position to join or lead or promote a lawsuit against NYC vax passports? Donald Trump
- Who could’ve spoken out as a private citizen (if nothing else) & had the whole world listening to him – a native New Yorker! – saying how wrong and fundamentally un-American it was to ban people from restaurants based on whether they received a shot? Donald Trump
- Who failed to do anything of the kind and continues to pretend that a spreading coronavirus killed or is tangentially responsible for an incredible mass casualty event the near-equivalent of ten World Trade Center disasters? Donald Trump (and many others…)
I humbly submit that the reason vax passports were so easy to implement in New York City – including at Trump Tower – is because the federal government let people believe a) the spring 2020 death spike happened as presented and b) a coronavirus is responsible.
This event ⬇️ occurred in Donald Trump’s hometown, for heaven’s sake, and still hasn’t been substantiated with the most basic proof in the form of death records or a complete list of decedent names.
After investigating the above monstrosity for more than two years, I see Democide, iatrogenic protocols, federal fraud — and a Once & Future POTUS who can’t even own mistakes or say he’s sorry. (Maybe because he’s not?)
It’s fine to Vote for Trump. You do you. But the excuses for his choices have got to stop.
Call spade a spade, admit atonement is needed, and call on your candidate to commit to an independent investigation — one that would very likely show him that a shot was never needed in the first place.
Afterword (14 March 2026)
The New York City “Key to NYC” vaccine passport (proof of vaccination required for restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues) was never struck down by a court. It ended because the city repealed it administratively in March 2022, not because a judge invalidated it, which means it could be used again. Nothing prevents Donald Trump from speaking against it now.
- Footnote revised for accuracy: In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — through its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)— issued federal guidance identifying “essential critical infrastructure workers.” The guidance was advisory rather than legally binding, but many state and local governments relied on it when determining which industries and businesses were considered essential vs. non-essential during lockdowns. The original “15 Days” declaration also gave governors the green light for restaurant closures: “In states with evidence of community transmission, bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms, and other indoor and outdoor venues where groups of people congregate should be closed.” ↩︎
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