ATLANTA — The Trump Campaign has responded after a metro Atlanta barbershop owner said he was "bamboozled" into hosting a campaign event at his business as he faces backlash over the episode.
Campaign organizers posted the contract on the X platform with Rocky Jones, the owner of Rocky's Barbershop, who signed the document for the campaign event last Wednesday ahead of the 2024 Presidential Debate.
The post from The Trump War Room account shows three photos of a three-page "venue use agreement" document.
Jones told 11Alive on Tuesday in a follow-up statement, "The fact is I WAS LIED TO - by a person I trusted." He also added that he had not read the contract entirely and was taking responsibility.
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In an interview with 11Alive, Jones previously said he thought his Buckhead shop would be the venue for a roundtable discussion aimed at helping Black business owners, not a political rally.
"I'm not a political guy... but after this experience, I know that this next election is crucial. Please vote. Stay aware. Get the facts. Sometimes, it be your own people," the statement continued. "I take full ownership for not reading the contract before I signed. Hopefully, by sharing my truth, I can make sure that other Black business owners don’t get bamboozled or fall into a political trap."
Johnson added: "Thank you to my family, friends and clients for your continued support. I hope everybody has a safe holiday."
The contract posted online stated that the Trump campaign would agree to pay the owner $4,800 to rent the premises for a couple of hours the day before the presidential debate. It appears the agreement was signed on the same day as the event.
Read the entire contract below:
Jones also previously explained how the event came to be, saying it started with a text message, followed by a phone call while he was out of the country. He agreed to host what he thought would be a small, private gathering for Black small business owners.
Instead, the event turned into a crowded affair, with Trump surrogates like Ben Carson and a surprise phone call from Trump himself.
“I thought it was going to be something real private,” Jones previously said. “I'm thinking about Black businesses in Atlanta, small Black businesses in Atlanta. And I'm like, 'Ok, so when are we gonna start talking about this?'”
The phone call from Trump was a shock. “I'm like, why is the ex-president calling somebody in my barbershop? This has nothing to do with small Black businesses.”
According to Jones, the number of customers at Rocky's Barbershop has dwindled since the event, but Jones hopes the controversy will pass, allowing him to continue serving his community.
“We definitely got some calls, some backlash, some angry people that don't know me, and I have to deal with that,” he previously said.