DC pizzeria owner responds to suggestion of turning Trump away

One restaurant owner is proud to say that she would love to host President Donald Trump, regardless of what the haters might say.

An article by Washingtonian food editor Jessica Sidman wrote that restaurants in Washington D.C., are in a “losing situation” when it comes to whether they choose to welcome Trump or not. As evidence, she pointed to the backlash received by Menomale Pizzeria after they simply congratulated the president on his 2024 electoral win.

“Trump, though, isn’t likely to go somewhere he’d be turned away, especially given the advance work required by Secret Service. And most restaurants would serve him because that’s just what restaurants do. Still, they would undoubtedly face boycott threats from locals and an onslaught of online and real-life rage. When Trump was re-elected, Brookland pizzeria Menomale found itself in the center of a neighborhood firestorm simply for congratulating him on his victory,” Sidman explained.

In response, Menomale jumped on X to reveal their thought process on refusing to reject the president, even though it might earn them hate from his fiercest critics.

It is disrespectful to turn @POTUS away.
It also means turning away millions of fellow Americans who voted differently. We welcome everyone & it would be a privilege to welcome @POTUS Also, we hear @realDonaldTrump eats pizza with a fork & knife, like a true Neapolitan https://t.co/06PviVp9Z4

— Menomàle Pizzeria (@menomale_dc) September 5, 2025

“It is disrespectful to turn POTUS away. It also means turning away millions of fellow Americans who voted differently. We welcome everyone & it would be a privilege to welcome POTUS,” the pizzeria wrote. “Also, we hear [Trump] eats pizza with a fork & knife, like a true Neapolitan.”

The restaurant’s owner, Mariya Rusciano, also reached out to Fox News Digital to say that she would hope her story would serve as a sign of unity.

“We do not want to be associated with the notion that a D.C. business should fear to welcome the president or that we fear to welcome him because of what happened back in November with our congratulatory post. Quite the opposite is true — it would be a privilege!” she said.

“Of course, we were immediately subjected to calls for boycott and name-calling, but overall, we got many more likes than dislikes. This is encouraging, and we stand for civility, unity and respect for all Americans in the Nation’s Capital. I hope that our story can be highlighted as a positive example of what D.C. should stand for – civility, unity and tolerance.

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