Dave Ratner, the owner of Agawam-based chain Dave's Soda and Pet City, doesn't blame customers who have expressed anger and criticism over his recent attendance at a White House executive order signing -- an event which he said he thought would be focused on helping small businesses, not rolling back the Affordable Care Act.

Ratner, whom the National Retail Federation invited to the Thursday White House ceremony, stressed Saturday that he and other small business owners at the event had no idea President Donald Trump would use the measure, which seeks to allow small businesses to purchase health insurance in groups and across state lines, as a way to undercut the ACA.

Had he known, the Western Massachusetts businessman and Retailers Association of Massachusetts board member said, he never would've attended the executive order's signing.

"If someone says to you, this is what I'm going to do, you go there because you think that's what they're going to do, right? (Trump) just basically dismantled all of Obamacare, but he didn't let that out until we were standing there," he said in an interview. "People think that I went and I'm in favor of dismantling Obamacare, I'm certainly not in favor of all the other stuff -- it's stupid -- and neither is the association. I wasn't duped, I just never would have gone had I known what the true intention was."

Ratner, who said he has long pushed to make it easier for small businesses to compete with larger companies when it comes to purchasing health insurance, stressed that he doesn't support efforts to dismantle the controversial health care law.

He, however, said he was not surprised by people's anger or the swift criticism he received online -- including hundreds of negative business reviews -- following his White House visit.

"I don't blame people for being angry, I just hope that for 42 years I've been a pretty good citizen and take care of everybody in the community. I just would not have gone had I known what he was announcing," Ratner said. "I truly, in my heart of hearts, thought I was going for a really good thing for my employees."

"I apologize, I'm embarrassed and I never in a million, gazillion years would have gone had I known what he was going to announce, because I think it's stupid and I agree with them completely -- it's mean," he added.

Ratner was among more than a dozen people on hand as Trump signed the executive order, which permits an overhaul to federal regulations allowing for health insurance plans that don't have to comply with certain consumer protections and benefit rules included in the controversial health care law -- a policy that some say could deal a major blow to the ACA.

The businessman said Friday that his attendance at the event should not be been seen as a sign of support for the president.

Specifically, the executive order directs Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta to consider expanding access to Association Health Plans, which could allow employers to form groups across state lines.

The measure, which drew pushback from Massachusetts Democrats, further directs the Departments of the Treasury, Labor and Health and Human Services to consider changes to Health Reimbursement Arrangements "so employers can make better use of them for their employees," according to the White House.

Trump cast the order as a "historic announcement," arguing that it will allow more small businesses to form associations to buy health insurance, therefore opening up additional options for employers to buy plans their workers want.

The president, who has pledged to dismantle the ACA, further argued that the measure represents "the first steps to providing millions of Americans with Obamacare relief."