How Sarah Huckabee's MAGA Cred Got Her Booted From A Restaurant

Sarah Huckabee Sanders has had more than her fair share of embarrassing moments throughout her political career. In June 2018, Donald Trump's then-White House Press Secretary took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to proudly share that she was kicked out of the Red Hen restaurant in Virginia simply because she worked for the divisive politician. Referring to the establishment's owner, Sanders proclaimed, "Her actions say far more about her than about me." 

According to The Washington Post, in the days following the tweet, some passersby cheered the Red Hen on for its decision while others criticized it. Stephanie Wilkinson, the small restaurant's owner, stood by her choice, asserting, "We just felt there are moments in time when people need to live their convictions. This appeared to be one." Further, she recalled how several of her LGBTQIA+ staff members felt uncomfortable about Sanders' group's presence because of her stance on issues surrounding the queer community. So, Wilkinson asked them if she should kick her out, and they answered in the affirmative. 

Notably, the restaurant owner pulled the politician aside to boot her from the restaurant only after giving her a proper explanation for it. In response, the Trump staffer only said, "That's fine. I'll go," and then left without creating a scene. As the discourse around the incident continued, former White House attorney Ian Bassin claimed that the Arkansas Governor's tweet "violates federal ethics rules" since she had used her government account to complain about the restaurant (via Slate). However, the supposed ethical violation didn't faze the then-president, and he took to X to take cheap shots at the local restaurant.

In June 2018, Donald Trump took to X to criticize the local Virginia establishment by writing, "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." The president continued, "I always had a rule, if a restaurant is dirty on the outside, it is dirty on the inside!" Many critics found his defense kind of ironic, given that Trump's Mar-a-Lago restaurants were found to have 15 health code violations in 2017 alone. However, that didn't stop him from continuing to weigh in on the controversy. 

At the time, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who has had to overcome several obstacles to get to where she is, confidently stood before a crowd and encouraged them to continue to make their dislike of Trump's administration clear by refusing to let staffers take up space around them. The controversial leader responded to her message with a typical X rant, labeling her "an extraordinarily low IQ person." Trump also publicly called out Nancy Pelosi for standing by Walters' polarizing stance, ignoring the fact that the former House Speaker had actually criticized the congresswoman in a tweet herself. 

At the end of the day, though, there are plenty of restaurants that would have treated Sanders and the rest of Trump's inner circle well. The Arkansas governor would have been a welcome guest at Lauren Boebert's restaurant, had the controversial grill not shut down in 2022. Or, she could have enjoyed a steak at the only Washington, D.C. restaurant that Trump ate at as president back in 2016.