California doughnut shop under fire after owners donated $1m to Donald Trump

A California doughnut shop has faced backlash following a significant donation from its co-owner's startup to President Donald Trump's inaugural committee.

Andrew Dudum, co-owner of George's Donuts & Merriment in San Francisco and co-founder and CEO of the telehealth company Hims & Hers, recently donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle.  

Although the donation came directly from Dudum's health startup, the fallout over the sizable contribution is now affecting the café, with a wave of negative reviews flooding its Yelp and Google pages. 

The café has now been plagued by a barrage of several one-star reviews on Google in the past 24 hours, though most of the recent negative reviews offer no feedback or have been removed.

'Oh gosh! $1 million donations to Trump by this cafe's owners? That's too much!! Will spend my money elsewhere from now on,' a customer wrote on George's Donuts' Yelp page. The review has since been removed. 

'Darn, and I wanted to try George’s. No more,' said a Facebook user in a post.

The eatery is a popular place among locals, with lines to get in spanning half a block, according to Google Reviews. 

On Tuesday, Dudum expressed his gratitude to Hims Chief Operating Officer Melissa Baird, who attended the inauguration, in a post shared on X.

The post featured a photo of Baird with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump nominated as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The donut shop co-founder also highlighted a shared commitment with Trump and Kennedy to tackle the U.S. obesity epidemic.

'Let's start addressing the root causes of conditions like obesity and put the power back in the hands of the individual patient,' he wrote on X.

In an email to SF GATE, a Hims spokesperson emphasized the company's desire to cultivate productive relationships with legislators and policymakers across the political spectrum who are actively working to improve the healthcare system. 

'For far too long, our current healthcare system has forced Americans to struggle to get essential medications and the care they need, especially for stigmatized conditions,' the statement read. 

'We think we can help change the status quo and prioritize patient choice and well-being by engaging with the political leaders committed to doing this same work.'

The president's inaugural committee had already raised $170 million and is on track to reach up to $200 million.

Major tech companies, including Amazon, Meta, and Uber, were among the top donors, according to Quartz.

At one point, the committee had to halt ticket sales for major donors wanting to attend the swearing-in ceremony due to a reported shortage.

Million-dollar donors were placed on waitlists for inaugural events as tickets to many of the Washington, D.C. events that weekend sold out. 

However, that didn't deter donors, with some continuing to contribute without receiving access to the inaugural events in return.

This amount more than doubles the funds raised by President Joe Biden's committee in 2020, which raised just $62 million after defeating Trump in the presidential election.

The donations cover the cost of the inauguration ceremonies, including the oath of office, parade, and inaugural balls, as these events are not funded by taxpayers. 

Any excess funds will be directed toward the future construction of President Trump's presidential library.

DailyMail.com has reached out to George's Donuts for comment.