President Donald Trump came to his press secretary’s defense Monday morning, calling the restaurant that refused to serve Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her family “filthy,” “disgusting” and in need of a paint job.
The Red Hen Restaurant should focus more on cleaning its filthy canopies, doors and windows (badly needs a paint job) rather than refusing to serve a fine person like Sarah Huckabee Sanders. I always had a rule, if a restaurant is dirty on the outside, it is dirty on the inside!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018
The co-owner of The Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia asked Sanders and company to leave Friday after the staff reportedly expressed discomfort in having to serve her.
“This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals,” Red Hen co-owner Stephanie Wilkinson told the Washington Post.
Soon after the incident, Sanders tweeted from her government account.
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
The episode is the latest in a string of Trump staffers being protested in public places. Last week, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and White House aide Stephen Miller were heckled by protesters at Mexican restaurants, and protesters blasted audio of immigrant children crying at Nielsen’s home.
