Until the morning of November 7, 2020, Four Seasons Total Landscape was just a small business on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia’s northeastern corner. If it weren’t for the incompetence of President Trump’s campaign staff at the time, it would have remained as anonymous as the neighborhood auto repair shop and check-cashing shop.
But the business earned an unexpected place in the history books when Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani held a bizarre press conference on the property just as television networks began calling the election for Joe Biden. Standing in front of a green cinder block garage with a Trump vs. Pence sign plastered on it, a bright yellow garden hose within reach, the once-respected New York mayor files lawsuits in multiple states. He announced his plans and painted a picture of Philadelphia, the Democratic stronghold. It’s a crucial battleground state and a hotbed of corruption, where the election was stolen from Trump in broad daylight.
He argued, among other things, that long-deceased people continue to vote in the city, such as boxing great Joe Frazier, who died in 2011. In fact, the pandemic has led to a surge in mail-in voting, especially by Democrats. So as millions of ballots were methodically counted, Mr. Trump’s apparent lead steadily eroded. About 30 minutes after his ramblings, Mr. Giuliani was informed that the campaign had been called by Mr. Biden.
Everything about this event was incredible, especially the location. Why did the Trump campaign choose a dusty industrial site in a grimy corner of Philadelphia for this big announcement? Surely this was supposed to take place at the Four Seasons? Like a hotel?
The evidence showed that some of the campaign communications were flawed. Earlier that morning, President Trump announced, “Lawyer press conference at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia. 11 a.m.,” an apparent reference to the upscale Center City property. However, he quickly deleted the message and posted an amended tweet at 9:45 a.m. that read, “Big press conference today at Four Seasons Total Landscapes in Philadelphia — 11:30 a.m.!” Posted. The confusion led to jokes on social media and even the Four Seasons Hotel tweeting: “As a reminder, President Trump’s press conference will not be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia.” It will be held at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, but is not affiliated with the hotel. ”
To this day, the question of how the press conference happened, located just a stone’s throw from Fantasy Island Adult Bookstore and Delaware Valley Crematorium, continues to linger, along with the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa, in the United States. It is one of history’s great mysteries. (Try searching just off Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia.) Many believe the reservation was a mistake made by an exhausted front-line staffer who called the Four Seasons by mistake. That’s what I was thinking. But reports at the time said the campaign intentionally booked Four Seasons Total Landscape because of its proximity to Interstate 95. President Trump heard the words “Four Seasons” and assumed it was a hotel — which, to be fair, was a foregone conclusion.
In the days that followed, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and used the temporary notoriety to sell memorabilia commemorating the debacle. For Trump’s critics, the debacle was emblematic of the clownish incompetence that characterized his presidency.
However, over time, this event became less interesting. Another viral phenomenon was that Saturday’s phone call, when Vice President Kamala Harris, wearing workout gear, sunglasses and a messy ponytail, croaked, “We did it, Joe!” covered up. Excitement and exhaustion after the election was declared for Biden. But it is the delusions and deceptions displayed in Mr. Giuliani’s press conference that have shaped American political culture more powerfully. A call to “Stop the count!” The doubts that President Trump planted in the minds of his supporters, which ultimately led to the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, have since solidified into certainty. Nearly 70% of Republicans believe Biden’s 2020 victory was fraudulent.
Looking back, that Saturday was the day when the timelines of the two American continents truly began to diverge. The video, shot by Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, was striking because of its normalcy. Here, a middle-aged woman who had just finished a run casually clutched her earphones in her hand while making an important work call. This inspired TikTok parodies, souvenir mugs, and joke-filled posts commemorating accomplishments far less impressive than winning the White House. By contrast, the Four Seasons Total Landscape press conference felt like a portal into a strange dimension where Joe Frazier was still alive and Trump had won the election.
Sometime this week we will find out which side can claim victory in 2024. Barring further mishaps by the Trump campaign, Four Seasons Total Landscape is unlikely to play a significant role. But we are definitely still living in the fever dream it unleashed.
