NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

This Trump-themed coffee shop mocks liberals but still wants to serve them

Washington Post
2 Mar, 2020 03:51 AM7 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The coffee shop allows customers to take a photo with cardboard cutouts of the President and the First lady in a reproduction of the Oval Office. Photo / via Facebook

The coffee shop allows customers to take a photo with cardboard cutouts of the President and the First lady in a reproduction of the Oval Office. Photo / via Facebook

Step up to the glossy, red counter at Conservative Grounds, a coffee shop in Largo, Florida, for a steaming cup of coffee or sugary pastry.

Past a blue and white star-studded floor, take a picture with cardboard cutouts of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump in a reproduction of the Oval Office.

Maybe purchase a "black coffee matters" shirt or "Make America Great Again" red cap.

The store, which had a soft opening last Saturday, is a space for Trump supporters to gather for events or just a caffeinated beverage, said co-owner Cliff Gephart.

"It's a place for conservatives to feel welcome," Gephart told local news. "There's not going to be anyone throwing a drink in your face because you're wearing a MAGA hat."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But it's not political, Gephart insists.

"I don't feel like we're catering to one party," the Republican told The Washington Post. "It's about a conservative lifestyle."

Since the store was announced, Republicans and Democrats alike have taken to social media, either praising Gephart's stand against "latté liberals" or critiquing him for sowing division. During the Trump administration, partisan strife has played out in real life as well, with Republicans facing skirmishes in public spaces when people react to their red caps. In Largo, even neighboring businesses have taken precautions in advance of the coffee shop opening.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Our community isn't as polarising as this makes us seem," Andrew Apted, who owns Dharma Kava Lounge in the same strip mall, said about Conservative Grounds. "It's dividing us over coffee of all things, and coffee shouldn't divide us because we all like coffee."

The idea behind the conservative coffee shop was born out of news in July that six police officers were asked to leave a Starbucks in Tempe, Arizona, after a customer complained that their presence made the customer uncomfortable. Gephart said he was further outraged when he read in November that an Oklahoma police officer's Starbucks order was labelled "PIG."

"It's about respect for our police officers, for our law enforcement," said Gephart, who also owns a food stand in downtown St. Petersberg, near Tampa, called Taco Cartel, which sells hot dog meat in a taco shell.

Conservatives have taken issue with the Starbucks chain, including boycotting its secular holiday cups.

In contrast, Conservative Grounds encourages customers to bring their guns. Open carry is illegal in Florida unless the holder is licensed.

The Florida shop is not the first conservative cafe. The Trumped Store and Coffee House in Arizona sells teddy bears with comb-overs and "acquitted forever" baseball caps along with the java. Covfefe Coffee and Gifts is planning to open in Maine. Other coffee companies support the Second Amendment.

I went to "Conservative Grounds", the new coffee shop for patriots today, it was busy! https://t.co/JNZz989eOB
Met this cute patriot there. pic.twitter.com/17CZ7L6bog

— TerriMidnightRider (@TerriAronson) February 28, 2020

But none have a copy of Trump's workspace.

It took about 2½ months to build the Oval Office reproduction, which is 10 feet narrower than the real thing, Gephart said. His partner, John Tatum, acquired the Trump memorabilia and furnishings from eBay, Amazon, a local thrift shop and other places.

Gephart studied pictures of the real Oval Office, even finding Trump family photos and frames to match.

On top of the Resolute desk knockoff, the shop has a copy of the red button on Trump's desk. Trump's button alerts staff to bring him a glass of coke on a silver platter. When shop-goers press Gephart's button, fashioned from a speaking pen, Trump's voice says seven different phrases, including:

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I will be the greatest president God ever created," and

"I'm really rich."

About a thousand people showed up for the opening of Conservative Grounds last Saturday, many to take a picture behind the desk and with the Trump cutout, Gephart said.

"From 10 to 1 there was a line of 25 people straight," he said. "All positive energy, no negativity."

A WWII Veteran dropped by the Grounds today to get a cup of coffee. We gave him a KEEP AMERICA GREAT HAT. #therightcoffee #conservativegrounds #MAGA2020 pic.twitter.com/oCWYoYI4vC

— Conservative Grounds (@therightcoffee) February 23, 2020

The shop also has a 2016 electorate map hanging from the ceiling, a wall for veterans to autograph and a shrine to the Second Amendment, complete with about 34 guns - all nonfunctional.

Gephart said he hopes to make the coffee shop a gathering place. He hosted a comedy night during the Democratic presidential debate Tuesday. TVs are tuned to Fox News and Newsmax TV, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The shtick ends at the menu, which includes all the food and drink items of a typical coffee shop. But Gephart has plans there, too.

"We might name the decaf 'sleepy joe,'" he said, referencing Trump's nickname for former vice president Joe Biden.

While most of the gimmicks are pro-Trump, a door leading to the back alley and dumpsters is labelled "liberal safe space, enter here."

Apted, the owner of Dharma Kava Lounge, called the sign Gephart posted on his back door offensive.

"If they are pushing away liberals there, at the end of the day, they have built a safe space for people that share their ideology, only," said Apted, who is running as a Democrat for the state House of Representatives seat for the district.

Also in the strip mall is an LGBTQ bar called Quench Lounge.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The mall is in Pinellas County, which narrowly voted for the Democratic candidate for governor, Andrew Gillem, in 2018, and President Barack Obama in 2012 - but also voted for Trump in 2016.

There are slightly more Democrats registered than Republicans, according to county voter data.

Apted, who is preparing to brief his staff on the new neighbours, said he wants to make sure that customers from the coffee shop who wander into his lounge are welcomed - as long as they are not carrying a gun.

"I think that would scare people," he said. "I'd ask them to leave."

Legally, businesses can choose to tell patrons they can't carry guns.

But Gephart, who previously ran for local office twice but wasn't elected, says he isn't excluding any customers with different political opinions.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Defending the business's inclusivity, he said financial contributors, which he calls the Founding Fathers, are diverse and include people who are LGBTQ. Gephart did not make those contributors available to The Post for an interview.

"It's not a coffee shop, it's a camaraderie shop," he said.

Conservative Grounds Coffee Shop in Largo, Florida Great place pic.twitter.com/Y5WCyNarbU

— Diane Marino (@dhmarino) February 26, 2020

However, on Gephart's Facebook page and YouTube channel, where he calls himself Uno, he mocks "liberals" and "snowflakes."

"I'm not in microaggression, I'm in full-on macroaggression," Gephart says in one video. "GO TRUMP," he yells. "How's that for aggression, baby?"

Gephart said his online presence is separate from his store, which has other investors aside from him.

"I'm not the coffee shop," he said. "The coffee shop is something separate. I'm just one piece of the puzzle."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Gephart scrubs negative comments on Facebook and called police days before opening to report an online comment that said his baristas should wear bulletproof vests. Largo police confirmed that Gephart called but said it was "nonspecific threats."

The coffee shop's Facebook page, which includes a "Declaration of Independent Coffee," spurred one local, Josh Porrata, to record dramatic readings of the page on YouTube.

"The Liberal Coffee Companies have obstructed the laws of nature of humanity by refusing God's existence and the word of God," he reads in one.

Porrata told The Post that the videos are satirical but the shop's impact on the area is no joke.

"It's a splinter in the paw of this community," he said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

'Trauma no doubt': Survivor's incredible tale after missing 12 days

12 Jul 05:11 AM
World

38 killed in deadliest day of anti-Government protests in Kenya

12 Jul 04:31 AM
World

How El Chapo's son co-operated for a reduced sentence

12 Jul 04:24 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

'Trauma no doubt': Survivor's incredible tale after missing 12 days

'Trauma no doubt': Survivor's incredible tale after missing 12 days

12 Jul 05:11 AM

Her van broke down 35km off-track in dense bushland near Karroun Hill.

38 killed in deadliest day of anti-Government protests in Kenya

38 killed in deadliest day of anti-Government protests in Kenya

12 Jul 04:31 AM
How El Chapo's son co-operated for a reduced sentence

How El Chapo's son co-operated for a reduced sentence

12 Jul 04:24 AM
Trump visits Texas as flood response faces scrutiny and criticism

Trump visits Texas as flood response faces scrutiny and criticism

11 Jul 11:03 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP