2 Smoothie King employees fired after refusing service to couple over Trump hoodie
A video shared online shows two employees at a Smoothie King franchise in Ann Arbor refusing to serve a man wearing a hoodie bearing President Trump’s name, and the company says the workers are no longer with the business.
Video shows refusal in Ann Arbor
The clip, recorded by Erika Lindemyer, captures her and her husband Jake being told by two young female workers on Sunday that the staff did not "feel comfortable serving" them because of Jake’s pro-Trump hoodie. Erika can be heard saying the refusal was discrimination, telling the employees they were "embarrassing" her as an American citizen who "just wanted a smoothie. "
What employees and customers said
In the video one employee repeated that they didn’t feel comfortable and directed the couple to the door, saying, "Have a great day. The door’s right there. " Erika threatened to call police as she and her husband left; it is unclear whether law enforcement was contacted. Another employee in a separate clip joked she might have "accidentally started a race war" and urged viewers to help remove Erika’s video, adding she was a minor and had been recorded without permission.
Smoothie King confirms staff are no longer with the business
Smoothie King confirmed the two workers "are no longer with the business" as of Monday. The firing followed the video going viral after Erika posted the footage online and protested what she said was discrimination based on her husband’s hoodie.
The episode centers on a franchise location in Ann Arbor and unfolded over a weekend visit that left the couple upset and the employees out of their jobs. The videos include direct back-and-forth exchanges: Erika saying "That is illegal, " and an employee replying that "Trump discriminates [against] us, " before the couple was pushed toward the exit.
Police involvement, if any, has not been confirmed in the videos. The separate clip posted after the confrontation shows one worker asking for help removing the original recording from social platforms and saying the comment thread had become hostile.
The company’s confirmation that the staff members were dismissed was the latest public development. The viral footage and the follow-up recording led to the franchise action announced on Monday.
Officials did not list further disciplinary steps in the statements released about the incident. The next confirmed public fact is the company’s statement that the employees "are no longer with the business, " and the videos remain the primary record of what happened at the Ann Arbor location.
