Recently, former President Donald Trump paid a visit to the Manhattan bodega where a contentious incident transpired: clerk Jose Alba was charged with murder subsequent to his self-defense slashing of an ex-convict. This visit occurred during the height of Trump’s re-election campaign. The bodega, which has since been rebranded as Sanaa Convenient Store, served as the location where Alba fatally stabbed Austin Simon in 2022 amidst a dispute concerning a container of chips.
During his visit, Trump engaged in conversation with Francisco Marte, the president of New York’s Bodega and Small Business Association, and the store’s current proprietor, Maad Ahmed. Trump advocated for the right of business proprietors to bear arms for self-defense, implying that the mere presence of a firearm could serve as a deterrent against such criminal activities. “Access to firearms should be granted,” he declared. “Behind a firearm, one would never be robbed.”
The perceived inadequacy of local law enforcement and the judicial system to safeguard small business proprietors and effectively enforce the law was another topic of discussion. In his critique, Trump criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, attributing his prosecutorial decisions to the wider problem of crime in New York City and asserting, “Alvin Bragg accomplishes nothing but pursues innocent individuals like Trump.”
The visit underscored Trump’s persistent criticism of what he perceives as the deterioration of safety and order in the city under its present administration, promising that if re-elected, New York will be “straightened out.” His statements align with his overarching campaign motif of law and order, which he has consistently emphasized as a fundamental aspect of his political persona.
Ultimately, charges were dropped against Jose Alba, whose case garnered substantial media coverage and public sympathy, as a result of intense political and public pressure, including his testimony at a “field hearing” of the House Judiciary Committee regarding District Attorney Bragg’s policies. Alba’s case has come to symbolize more extensive apprehensions concerning crime and justice in New York City, specifically concerning the manner in which self-defense cases are handled by the legal system.
In addition to being a personal expression of support for the proprietor, Trump’s visit to the bodega served as a campaign symbol that positioned him in solidarity with the plight of small business proprietors and crime victims.