Trump-themed coffee shop encouraging customers to bring guns opens next door to LGBT bar
The replica oval office features cardboard cutouts of Donald and Melania Trump. (Yelp)
A Donald Trump-themed coffee shop, complete with replica oval office and wall of guns, has opened up in Florida next door to an LGBT+ bar.
Conservative Grounds in Largo, Florida, was created by Cliff Gephart and John Tatum and held its soft opening on Saturday, February 29.
According to its website: “Conservative Grounds is creating a network of places where conservative camaraderie can take place without the scourge of liberalism.
“As we grow so will our outreach of conservative values and our conservative donations the company will make.”
The shop is covered with Trump memorabilia, a 2016 electorate map and it even has a “second amendment” wall decorated with guns.
There is a replica oval office, with cardboard cutouts of Donald and Melania Trump and a copy of the infamous red button. But when customers press the Conservative Grounds red button, tinny recordings of Trump’s voice will play.
According to the Washington Post, customers are encouraged to bring their guns with them to the Trump-themed coffee shop, which is located right next to the Quench Lounge, an LGBT+ bar.
Conservative Grounds in Largo, Florida. (Yelp)
The coffee shop’s website states that it was made possible by a “diverse group” of investors, “from many different races… with varying sexual orientations”.
But if its founder’s views are anything to go by, Conservative Grounds will not be so “diverse”.
On his YouTube channel, Gephart said that the “Muslim way of life is okay with, and actually supports, paedophiles”.
In another video, he ranted: “We are not homophobes. We don’t care what you do when you’re in a bedroom behind closed doors, we don’t give damn who you put your junk with and whose junk touches other people’s junk.
“We’re just tired of you talking about it on the street, we don’t need to see parades and we don’t need to see all this agenda, pro-gay, pro-gay, pro-trans, pro-trans, pro-LGBT.
“Heterosexuals don’t go and have parades and talk about how we have sex in missionary style… When you keep forcing it down our throats then we become more anti-LGBTQXYZ.
“Transgender is crazy, it’s a sickness, you’ve got your own problems, go deal with them. Don’t force us to buy into your Halloween costume.”
On Twitter, he has also called trans people “pseudogender individuals with mental disorders”.
Victoria’s Secret is for “women”, not pseudogender individuals with mental disorders. Maybe they should start Victor’s secrets for the pseudogender I’ll folks.
— Cliff Gephart (@CliffGephart) November 14, 2018
The co-founders of the Trump-themed coffee shop claim that they will be “aggressively opening locations throughout 2020”, but their Yelp reviews tell another story.
One person wrote: “The owner has a serious persecution complex and will most likely blame his lack of business on the ‘liberal coffee’ agenda.”
“As for atmosphere, they say everyone is welcome, but they only spoke negatively of others,” said another.
“I’m a retired Army Sergeant, and they said ‘thank you for your service’ then went on to talk about how liberals are destroying the country. This was the staff, mind you.
“Don’t go here. It’s a MAGA circle jerk with crappy coffee. That is, unless you’re a fan of fascism. Then go ahead and drink some of the worst coffee.”
