Trump says he's never heard the term 'corner store' in Las Vegas economics speech

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Apr 17, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

You don’t even wanna know what he thinks a “bodega” might be.

President Donald Trump revealed he doesn’t know what a “corner store” is when he awkwardly interrupted his own speech at an economics roundtable to critique a speechwriter’s use of the ubiquitous term in the text of his remarks.

“What is a corner store? I’ve never heard that term,” Trump told a Las Vegas event designed to laud his push to end income tax on tips. “Who the hell wrote that?”

Exposing a big gap in his knowledge of everyday life, Trump appeared befuddled by the term used by millions of Americans to refer to the small grocery stores that dot the landscape of cities and towns alike.

He stopped himself after intoning a boilerplate claim that his policies would boost mom-and-pop businesses like “restaurants, dry cleaners, corner stores.”

“I know what a corner store is but I’ve never heard it described (as) a corner store,” he said, shaking his head.

Trump, 79, made a two-day swing through Nevada and Arizona Thursday and Friday to spotlight his claim that the economy is booming under his leadership. Polls show voters give him poor marks on the issue and are leaning toward dumping his Republican allies in the forthcoming midterm congressional elections.

The gaffe could remind some of Trump’s working class supporters that the president has lived for decades in an opulent bubble created by his billionaire lifestyle.

He grew up in suburban Queens decades ago but rarely leaves his gilded penthouse at Trump Tower these days when he makes one of his rare stops in his hometown.

President George H.W. Bush also exposed his upper-class roots by admitting in a 1992 debate with Bill Clinton that he didn’t know the price of a gallon of milk. He was also widely mocked when he expressed amazement at an electronic scanner at a grocery store checkout counter, which were already in wide use at the time.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio similarly drew ridicule when he was caught using a knife and fork to eat pizza instead of grabbing the slice with his hands like any real New Yorker paisano would.

_____