A chef in Los Angeles whose restaurants have stayed open despite lockdown orders called the COVID-19 restrictions “class warfare.”
“What’s happening right now is really a class warfare whereby your big business, your campaign donors, your elites are operating in one bubble and then you have all the small business retailers that are being told that they have to shut down,” Andrew Gruel said during an appearance on The Federalist Radio Hour.
“Nobody is leading them through this saying, ‘Don’t worry, we’re going to get your back’ or ‘Here’s some sort of financial relief.’”
Gruel owns LA eateries Slapfish and Big Parm.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Dec. 3 issued the state’s strictest measures since the earliest days of the pandemic in an effort to keep a surge in cases from overwhelming hospitals.
The new round of regional stay-at-home orders shuttered indoor dining, roped off playgrounds, and closed hair salons.
Gruel responded by calling Newsom an “a--hole.”
“Here’s the situation — do we take the pandemic seriously? Of course we do! Am I saying we shouldn’t close outdoor dining? Yes, I am,” he said in a video posted to his Twitter account.
“There is zero scientific evidence that outdoor dining is contributing to the rise in cases related to this,” he claimed.
“I can go into Walmart — nobody wears a mask at Walmart! I can get a pink cockatoo for my Christmas tree but I can’t go and dine outdoors at a restaurant. I can go to Target, Amazon is making tons of money — all big business is getting rich, OK! Outdoor dining does not lead to [COVID-19]. Therefore, screw that — we’re staying open. Outdoors. It’s that simple. I’m not an a--hole — the governor is!”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.