The national smoothie chain Smoothie King confirmed that two employees at a Michigan location were terminated after a viral TikTok video appeared to show them refusing service to a man because he was wearing a sweatshirt supporting former President Donald J. Trump.

The video, posted by TikTok user @enl1986, shows the woman recording the incident saying, “We were just wanting a smoothie and you literally looked at us and I asked you if everything was OK and you said: ‘We don’t feel comfortable serving you’ because of my husband’s hoodie. That is discrimination.” An employee responded, “OK, well, have a great day,” and a second added, “I said, ‘Trump discriminates [against] us.'”

Smoothie King issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to providing service free from discrimination. “Following an investigation into an incident involving a guest who was refused service at a franchised location in Michigan yesterday, the franchise owner has taken immediate action and the two employees involved are no longer with the business,” the company said. It also noted that mandatory retraining will be implemented for all employees at the location, and that both corporate representatives and the local franchise owner have reached out to the affected customer to apologize.

The exchange drew national attention and social media debate over whether employees can legally refuse service based on political affiliation. Some observers cited retailer discretion as justification, while others compared the situation to the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, in which the Supreme Court weighed the limits of business discretion against claims of discrimination.

The incident underscores the potential consequences for employees who allow personal political views to interfere with customer service and highlights the broader tensions surrounding political expression in public-facing businesses.