Sarah Huckabee Sanders was kicked out of a Virginia restaurant on Friday, June 22, because of her affiliation with President Donald Trump.
Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left. Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) June 23, 2018
“Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left,” the White House press secretary, 35, tweeted on Saturday, June 23. “Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.” According to TMZ, Sanders was accompanied by seven family members, who were also asked to leave.
The White House official’s father, Mike Huckabee, responded to his daughter’s tweet. “Bigotry. On the menu at Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington VA,” the 62-year-old former governor of Arkansas tweeted. “Or you can ask for the ‘Hate Plate’. And appetizers are ‘small plates for small minds.’”
Celebrities were outraged by Sanders’ tweet and shared an array of reactions. “Didn’t you morons get your panties in a wad defending the baker that didn’t want to make cakes for gay couples?” Chrissy Teigen tweeted.
Comedian Michelle Wolf — whose controversial takedown of Sanders at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner made headlines in April — replied: “No shirt, no morals, no service.”
Since Sanders issued her response on Twitter, Red Hen’s Yelp page has been overwhelmed with reviews. Trump supporters are leaving one-star ratings on the page while anti-Trump users are leaving five-star ratings.
The D.C. location of the restaurant tweeted to distance itself from the situation on Saturday: “Good morning! @PressSec went to the unaffiliated @RedHenLex last night, not to our DC-based restaurant.”
Earlier this week, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen chose to depart from a Mexican restaurant near the White House when protestors began hassling her about the migrant children crisis.
