Former President Donald Trump's campaign team has responded after an Atlanta man claimed he was misled into hosting one of their events at his barbershop.
Barbershop owner Rocky Jones told local outlets that a friend initially approached him about hosting a roundtable for small Black businesses in the area. Jones said he was shocked when he later learned that the roundtable was a pro-Trump event featuring appearances from the former president's Black allies, Dr. Ben Carson and Rep. Byron Donalds.
“I feel like I have been betrayed,” Jones said.
Wednesday's (June 26) event, titled "Black American Business Leaders Barbershop Roundtable," garnered national attention ahead of the first presidential debate of 2024 at CNN Studios in Atlanta.
“I honestly didn’t think about it. It was just once you say Black small business give back to the community, it’s like, ‘OK, I’m doing it,’” Jones said. “Just be aware that it is election season, and the timing seems a little suspect.”
On Saturday (June 29), Trump's campaign slammed claims suggesting the barbershop owner was blindsided by the event.
Trump's team shared an agreement signed by Jones to host a "political event" for Donald Trump for President, Inc. from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. for $4800.
"The business owner signed an agreement with the Trump campaign and received payment for the time spent in his location for this event," Trump's campaign wrote on X alongside a photocopy of the agreement.
Jones hasn't spoken out about the agreement's release. The barbershop owner told local outlets that hosting the event harmed his business.
“We had some calls Thursday. We definitely got some calls, some backlash, some angry people that don’t know me, and I have to deal with that,” he said.
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