• by Tanya Gazdik , March 3, 2026

Smoothie King's response to a viral video is under further review by consumers. 

“In a now viral X video with over hundreds of thousands of views as of March 3, the woman said she and her husband were refused service because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt that displayed Trump's name, leading to a response and staffing change by Smoothie King,” according to USA Today.

The employees who refused service were fired and an apology was issued, but not before both conservative and liberal customers from all over the country expressed dismay and vowed not to do business with the brand. 

“Video of the encounter between the couple and an employee at the Smoothie King was shared in a post on X by accounts called Leftism, which says its goal is ‘Exposing Leftists,’ and Meme’nOnLibs, which says its mission is ‘to ridicule liberals enough to end the woke movement,’” according to The Detroit News. 

The video had more than 666,000 views as of Monday night.

“One of the workers in the clip said she was recorded without her permission as a minor and subsequently launched a GoFundMe account, alleging that due to hate comments and threats the job was ‘no longer safe to return to,’” according to The Hill. 

The confrontation ignited fierce online debate over discrimination, political identity, and the limits of a business’s “right to refuse service,” according to Inc. “Federal civil rights law prohibits discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, religion, sex, and national origin. Political affiliation, however, is not a federally protected class, though certain states and localities offer broader protections. Whether a business can refuse service over political expression may depend on local law and franchise policy.”

Smoothie King said the local franchise owner is also taking further action and enforcing mandatory retraining for all employees reinforcing their guest experience standards.

"As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect," the company said on X.

But some commenters on X responded that the brand was turning off its current customer base with the actions. 

"You've played yourselves," posted one user. "MAGA is not your demographic. They are going to boycott you anyway. Now, by siding with MAGA, you've alienated your real customer base of Gen-Z and Millennial, health-conscious beverage buyers."