Anthony Bourdain blames ‘privileged Eastern liberals’ and their ‘contempt’ for ‘working-class America’ for Trump win

Sadaf Ahsan | January 3, 2017 1:57 PM ET

According to Anthony Bourdain, a man who rarely minces words – much less ingredients – it’s bleeding heart liberals who are to blame for Donald Trump winning the American election.

In an interview with Reason Magazine published last week, Bourdain said, “The utter contempt with which privileged Eastern liberals such as myself discuss red-state, gun-country, working-class America as ridiculous and morons and rubes is largely responsible for the upswell of rage and contempt and desire to pull down the temple that we’re seeing now.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in gun-country, God-fearing America. There are a hell of a lot of nice people out there, who are doing what everyone else in this world is trying to do: the best they can to get by, and take care of themselves and the people they love.”

He continued, “Nothing nauseates me more than preaching to the converted. The self-congratulatory tone of the privileged left – just repeating and repeating and repeating the outrages of the opposition – this does not win hearts and minds. It doesn’t change anyone’s opinions. It only solidifies them, and makes things worse for all of us. We should be breaking bread with each other, and finding common ground whenever possible.”

But, Bourdain said, this “global trend” of “nationalism” isn’t unique to the United States: “If you look around the world (in the Philippines, in England), the rise of nationalism, the fear of the Other. When people are afraid and feel that their government has failed them they do things that seem completely mad and unreasonable to those of who are perhaps under less pressure.”

One person Bourdain won’t be breaking bread with? Bill Maher.

When asked if he would ever appear on his show Real Time again, Bourdain referred to the political talk show host as “insufferably smug. Really the worst of the smug, self-congratulatory left. I have a low opinion of him. I did not have an enjoyable experience on his show. Not a show I plan to do again. He’s a classic example of the smirking, contemptuous, privileged guy who lives in a bubble. And he is in no way looking to reach outside, or even look outside, of that bubble, in an empathetic way.”

But the very last person to be offered a seat at Bourdain’s kitchen table is, naturally, Trump. After sharing a meal with President Barack Obama in the season eight September premiere of his show Parts Unknown, The Wrap asked the chef if he would ever consider dining with Trump. Bourdain promptly responded, “Absolutely f—ing not. We know him well here (in New York) … I would give the same answer that I would have given 10 years ago, when he was just as loathsome.”

And after restaurateur Alessandro Borgognone announced that he would be opening a sushi restaurant in Trump’s Washington hotel, Bourdain expressed “complete and utter contempt” for him in an interview with Eater, declaring, “I will never eat in his restaurant.”

When chef David Burke expressed similar interest in working at a Trump hotel, Bourdain said, “Burke’s a steaming loaf of s—t, as far as I’m concerned, and feel free to quote me.”

Consider it done.