Massachusetts

Business Owner Faces Backlash for Attending Trump Signing

If Massachusetts business owner Dave Ratner knew a photo opportunity with President Trump would have caused him so much grief, he never would have gone to the White House.

"It's like World War III on Dave," said Ratner.

Ratner, the owner of Dave's Soda & Pet City, an iconic chain of stores in Western Massachusetts, now he worries the reputation he's crafted for more than 40 years is fizzling.

"One photo, and you're done," he said. "Even though my heart was there for the right reason."

Ratner traveled to the White House last week to join small business owners as the president signed a new executive order making it cheaper for businesses like Dave's Soda & Pet City to purchase health insurance for employees.

"This is what I've been lobbying for since 2010," said Ratner.

What Ratner says he didn't know was that the same executive order would stop payments that subsidize health care for low-income Americans, which some say could be a big blow to Obamacare.

That's something Ratner does not support. Had he known, he says, he never would have gone to Washington.

"I was an idiot," said Ratner. "I thought I was doing something great for my employees and the employees of millions of small businesses."

The issue has generated hundreds of comments online. Ratner posted an apology on Facebook.

Many, though, are angry and calling for a boycott, while other loyal customers are standing by the business and the owner.

"I just hope that my customers think of 42 years of all the good stuff we've done," said Ratner. "I made one naive mistake, and don't crucify me."

Contact Us