
Even as former President Donald Trump faces his own criminal trial brought about by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, he found time on Tuesday to visit a bodega in Harlem where a former clerk fatally stabbed a career criminal during an altercation in 2022.
According to reports, Jose Alba was working at the Blue Moon Convenient Store — now known as the Sanaa Convenient Store — when he was attacked by 35-year-old Austin Simon in a dispute over a bag of chips. Although evidence at the time seemed to indicate Alba acted in self-defense, Bragg charged him with murder.
Public outrage soon ensued and the charges were later dropped, but Alba reportedly opted to leave the U.S. and return to the Dominican Republic.
While at the store this week, Trump met with its co-owner, Maad Ahmed, who expressed support for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee as well as sympathy for the way Alba was treated.
Judge: We'll arrest you if you miss a day of the trial. You can't leave NYC to campaign.
Trump: pic.twitter.com/bd4xaLyJWN
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 17, 2024
“What happened to Jose was very hard for me,” Ahmed said. “Jose was defending himself from the guy who came behind the counter — all for $1 worth of chips.”
In light of the surge in crime across New York City and based on Trump’s first-term record, Ahmed said the former president is getting his vote in November.
“I have never voted because I’ve been working, but this time I will,” he said. “We need Donald Trump back in the White House because he’s a strong guy.”
The co-owner praised Trump not only for his “law and order” platform but also his support for small businesses.
“This store was where the fight against the liberal laws started when they were charging Jose Alba with murder for defending himself,” Ahmed said. “The fight against those liberals started here.”
Citing the incident at the bodega as an example, Trump’s remarks hinged on his approach to addressing the rampant crime that has impacted communities nationwide throughout the Biden administration.
“Every week they’re being robbed two or three times,” he said. “It’s crazy. You know what? The police can stop it but they have to be allowed to do their job. You have to stop crime and we’re going to let the police do their job. They have to be given back their authority. We’re making a big play for New York. I love this city and it’s gotten so bad in the last three years, four years, and we’re going to straighten New York out.”