Trump is a former New York real estate mogul who grew up in Jamaica Estates, an upscale suburb of Queens.
‘What is a corner store?’ Confusion over Trump’s term sparks distrust
At a tax roundtable in Nevada, President Donald Trump claimed he had never heard of the term “corner store,” sparking disbelief online.
President Donald Trump drew disbelief from his fellow New York City native when he paused during his tax roundtable to consider the meaning of the term “corner store.”
Speaking in Las Vegas on April 16, Trump interrupted written remarks about the benefits of the federal tax and spending law. According to the Republican president, the bill would provide tax cuts for small businesses in the United States, including restaurants, dry cleaners and corner stores.
“What is a corner store?” Trump said. “I’ve never heard that word. I know what a corner store is, but I’ve never heard the word to describe a corner store.”
He added: “Who the hell wrote that?”
The 79-year-old grew up in Queens and spent most of his adult life in Manhattan. New York City’s iconic corner stores, also known as bodegas or delis, are often found in both boroughs.
“New Yorkers, ‘born and raised,’ don’t know what a corner store is,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), 75, of Brooklyn, said on the X-Post. “A true fraud in every sense of the word.”
In response to emailed questions, the White House dismissed Schumer’s comments.
“Chuck Schumer has spent his entire career raising costs, raising taxes, and making the great state of New York worse,” White House Press Secretary Davis Engle said in a statement. “There’s a reason Crying Chuck is the most hated politician in New York.”
Part of the explanation for Trump’s unusual unfamiliarity may lie in his atypical life experiences.
The second-generation real estate mogul grew up in the upscale neighborhood of Jamaica Estates, a suburb of Queens. His family lived in a six-bedroom Tudor house and later in a 23-room mansion. After attending boarding school in upstate New York and then attending the University of Pennsylvania, he lived on Manhattan’s elite Upper East Side before settling in midtown Manhattan. He is currently a registered Florida resident and spends his time at his expansive Mar-a-Lago mansion.
Trump has faced criticism in the past for appearing out of touch with ordinary Americans. In April 2025, President Trump called “grocery” an outdated term. In December, he said “affordability” was “the work of con artists” by Democrats.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed in August, Republican strategist Karl Rove warned that President Trump could make the same mistake as former President Joe Biden in talking about economic success as people continue to grapple with costs. This is one of the reasons why President Trump won the 2024 presidential election.
In Mr. Trump’s hometown, Zoran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won an upset victory and became mayor in 2025, focusing on reducing the cost of living for New Yorkers. Mamdani promised to help small businesses, including delis and bodegas, by reducing fines and fees. In April, a “mother and child emperor” was appointed to support nearby facilities.
Since Mr. Mamdani’s election, he and Mr. Trump have forged an unlikely bond, including over their handling of the city’s cost issues.
On the same day as the Corner Store remarks, President Trump blasted him on social media, saying Mandani was “destroying” New York by supporting the state’s proposed tax on ultra-expensive second homes. On April 17, Mamdani responded that both he and the president want the city to succeed.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact us via email (emcuevas1@usatoday.com) or Signal (emcuevas.01).
