Las Vegas restaurant owner doubles down after facing boycott calls for hosting Trump: 'Grateful' to have him
Javier Barajas joins 'Fox & Friends First' after hosting Trump for 'No Taxes on Tips' event
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Las Vegas restaurant owner has faced boycott calls since hosting former President Trump for a press conference on his "No Taxes on Tips" policy, but he isn't about to cave to the pressure.
"I was so grateful to have President Donald Trump in my restaurant. [But] I've been having a lot of phone calls, a lot of TikToks that people make, talking bad about me and my restaurant, but, at the same time, I've been having a lot of good response, too," Javier Barajas told "Fox & Friends First" on Thursday.
Barajas owns Mexican-Italian restaurant II Toro e La Capra, where the former president pitched his "No Taxes on Tips" policy with a televised message last month.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP ACCUSES HARRIS OF ‘STEALING’ HIS NO TAX ON TIPS PROMISE AFTER HER CAMPUS RALLY IN LAS VEGAS
Javier Barajas stands to the right of former President Trump inside the Mexican-Italian restaurant II Toro e La Capra in Las Vegas. (Fox & Friends First/Javier Barajas)
He spoke positively of Trump and his idea at the time, a local outlet reported, and doubled down on the support on Thursday, telling co-host Carley Shimkus he supports the GOP candidate's immigration policies and believes Trump will do more to support the working class.
"We're supporting President Donald Trump because we know that he's gonna do a lot better for people that work hard in our country," he said of the Hispanic community.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He knows that the United States needs people to come to work, not to [be] delinquents. We don't like what President Biden did — open the border to millions and millions of people without checking their criminal records."
Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on Aug. 23. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
"In 2008, President Obama promised a lot of things for working people, but they [his administration] never did anything," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barajas also trusts Trump more on the economy and disclosed that keeping his doors open has been challenging since President Biden took office.
"Everything is very expensive," he said.
"President Donald Trump — he's a businessman. I know he's going to do a lot better for us."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barajas' family also runs the Lindo Michoacan restaurants that serve Mexican cuisine in the area. President Biden visited one of the locations in July just prior to announcing he would be dropping out of the 2024 race, according to KLAS-TV, a CBS affiliate based in Las Vegas.