Donald Trump hits out at Red Hen restaurant for turning away Press Secy Sarah Sanders, terms it "filthy"
President Donald Trump has tweeted his two bits about a Virginia restaurant that kicked out White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, terming it "filthy" and in "need" of a paint job. Red Hen restaurant in Lexington had turned Sanders and her family away last week, with restaurant owner Stephanie Wilkinson telling the press secretary her business had “certain standards that I feel it has to uphold, such as honesty, and compassion, and cooperation.”
Sanders had tweeted about the incident on Friday.
On Monday, Trump tweeted that "if a restaurant looked dirty on the outside, “it is dirty on the inside”.
“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,” he wrote in a tweet on Monday.
“I always had a rule, if a restaurant is dirty on the outside, it is dirty on the inside!” he added.
Wilkinson had rationalized her decision to the Washington Post: "I'm not a huge fan of confrontation. I have a business, and I want the business to thrive. This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals."
However, her decision divided people, with many people condemning the restaurant and others supporting it.
The Red Hen's Yelp page has been bombarded with either one-star reviews or five-star reviews from people who are either fans of Trump or not. The restaurant's score has now come down to 2.5 stars
Sanders' father, former governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 Mike Huckabee, slammed the restaurant and its owner after his daughter was thrown out. He tweeted: "Bigotry. On the menu at The Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington VA. Or you can ask for the 'Hate Plate'. And appetizers are 'small plates for small minds.''
Many people, however, supported the restaurant and its decision including model Christine "Chrissy" Teigen who replied to Sanders' initial tweet: "Didn’t you morons get your panties in a wad defending the baker that didn’t want to make cakes for gay couples?" Lawrence O'Donnell, an MSNBC host, tweeted: "You do NOT treat reporters “respectfully.” You lie to them and personally insult some of them in full public view."