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Breanna Robinson
Jul 22, 2022
Jan 6 hearings: Donald Trump Jr tries to explain Godfather reference
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Donald Trump Jr was asked to explain his “go to the mattresses” The Godfather reference in texts with the White House chief of staff - and everyone is mocking him online.
On Thursday’s January 6 committee hearing, the pre-recorded testimony of the former president’s eldest son was played.
In Trump Jr’s texts to Mark Meadows, Trump Jr appeared to urge him to force his father, former President Donald Trump, to stop the attack at the Capitol.
“He’s got to condemn this s***. Asap. The Capitol police tweet is not enough,” Trump Jr said in one of the text messages to Meadows.
“I am pushing it hard. I agree,” Meadows said.
The responses were shown on the screen during the hearing.
“This (is) one you go to the mattresses on,” Trump Jr responded. “They will try to f**k his entire legacy on this if it gets worse.”
In his interview with the committee, Trump Jr was particularly asked what he meant by the phrase ”go to the mattresses.”
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\u201cDonald Trump Jr. references 'The Godfather' with his 'go to the mattresses' remark to Mark Meadows ........\u201d— Mike (@Mike) 1658454294
Trump Jr was heard noting that it was a “Godfather” reference that urged Meadows to do all he could to have his father express disapproval of the riots.
“Just a reference for going all in. I think it is a ‘Godfather’ reference,” he said.
This explanation from Trump Jr has caused a stir of hilarious reactions from people who questioned if he understood what that phrase meant in the movie , and that the “mafia families” reference is perfect for the Trumps.
The phrase, which is used in Mario Puzo’s classic novel, really means preparing for a long war.
“Junior’s ‘going to the mattresses’ Godfather reference makes absolutely no sense in the context he said it. That refers to people sleeping on mattresses in hideouts and not going home during a war between mafia families. Figures his scrambled mind couldn’t even get that right,” said Ron Filipkowski on Twitter.
Many said Junior is more like Fredo Corleone than Sonny Corleone.
“And Don Jr. dropped a Fredo reference last night, and that was perfect because that’s exactly who he is. He’s Fredo. Also, isn’t it sad that Trump lost to a guy that supposedly has late-stage dementia? Wow, that sucks.”
“Don Jr. quotes a film he’s never seen, so he doesn’t realize he’s both Sonny and Fredo,” another added.
A third wrote: “Come on, people! Why would you doubt Don Jr’s knowledge of The Godfather? He lives the Fredo life every day.”
Check out other reactions below.
\u201c@RawStory Don Jr's book, "I, Fredo" has been cancelled due to impending criminal charges"\u201d— Raw Story (@Raw Story) 1528136899
\u201cShould we tell him that Don Jr. is really Fredo?\u201d— Hil.i.am \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Hil.i.am \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1599584352
\u201c@joncoopertweets I'm going with Fredo, aka Don Jr. Apparently the prosecutors have Eric Trump's lap top - image below. If so, he should be easy to flip.\u201d— Jon Cooper (@Jon Cooper) 1625497452
\u201cThe part of Fredo Corleone goes to Don Jr. and Eric Trump...\u201d— Ali Adair #DoTheRightThing \u262e\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udf0e\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udca6\ud83c\udf2a\ufe0f (@Ali Adair #DoTheRightThing \u262e\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udf0e\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udca6\ud83c\udf2a\ufe0f) 1609018856
Elsewhere, the January 6 hearing also showed Trump refusing to say that he “lost the election” in new footage, which saw him going over his speech.
The radio transmissions from frightened Secret Service agents were also shown as they worried about their safety and that of former vice president Mike Pence.
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