Rick Harrison, the 61-year-old reality television star and pawn shop owner from Las Vegas, is facing a wave of online backlash after calling Donald Trump 'maybe the best president ever' during a speech at the White House Small Business Summit on Monday.
Harrison, best known as the lead negotiator on History Channel's long-running show,Pawn Stars, took the podium at the event and delivered what he described as an impromptu address. 'They literally just told me a couple of hours ago to make a little speech,' he said before launching into praise of the president and his policies.
The Gold and Silver Pawn Shop owner told the crowd of more than 130 small business owners that Trump's record speaks for itself. 'I'm a history buff and I know a lot about this White House thing,' Harrison said. 'Literally, he's going to go down as maybe the best president ever. I love this guy.'
He also praised what he called the 'Big Beautiful Bill', a reference to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act that Trump signed into law last year. The legislation made the 20% small business tax deduction permanent and introduced 100% expensing for factories, equipment, and business improvements. 'God bless you for letting me get 100% depreciation,' Harrison said. 'It really helps out.'
Harrison didn't stop at praising Trump. He also took a swipe at former President Joe Biden, claiming small business owners were treated as 'the evil people' and 'the bad people' under the previous administration. 'We don't pay our fair share, whatever that's supposed to be,' he added. 'And he made it tough.'
The jab sharpened the political tone of what was meant to be a celebration of National Small Business Week, an event the White House framed around the administration's economic agenda and Main Street growth.
Critics were quick to pile on. One X user called the appearance 'sycophantic, rambling, and annoying,' while another wrote, 'Another fake speech just like his show.'
I didn't think things could get more sycophantic, rambling, and annoying during the White House Small Business Summit......then came Rick Harrison from Pawn Stars fawning all over Donald Trump for his tax cuts.pic.twitter.com/V99LWXii2V
Another fake speech just like his show...
Irish Starhighlighted that some users argued that Harrison's approach turned a legitimate small business event into 'political hero worship' that doesn't fix real issues like taxes, inflation, or red tape.
Source: International Business Times UK
