Washington: In a novel protest, Donald Trump supporters have started asking for their drinks at a popular American coffee chain under the President elect's name after a man claimed he was discriminated at one of its outlet for being pro-Trump.
After a viral video showing a Trump supporter yelling inside a Starbucks location near the University of Miami gained traction, other supporters banded together to protest what they view as political and anti-white discrimination.
The man in the video, David Sanguesa, told the Miami Herald that he was racially discriminated against and that the barista would not serve him because she knew he was a Trump supporter.
The hashtag #TrumpCup went viral after a Twitter user posted instructions to followers Friday. The hashtag had garnered thousands of tweets.
The protest is an attempt to make Starbucks baristas yell Trump's name and write it on their coffee cups, as is the company's regular practice, CNN reported.
Some supporters claim to have been refused a 'Trump Cup' and see it as a breach of their rights.
A second video which was shot at a different south Florida Starbucks location shows a man ordering a coffee and requesting that "Trump" be written on the cup.
"I already spoke with corporate office," the man is heard saying. "Corporate office said I can have any drink I want with any name I want on it." The employee refuses and says that he is going to call the police.
Bill Scott, the man in the video, told BBC Trending that he is a Starbucks regular who frequently gives different names to his orders, some politically themed and pro-Trump, others referencing current events.
On this particular occasion, staff refused to write "Trump" on the couple's order.
"They started yelling at her and saying Trump is a racist bigot and that nobody wants to write that name," he says. Police arrived and asked him to leave, but he was not arrested.
The incident happened the day before the election, but did not catch fire on social media until it was picked up by several alt-right and pro-Trump blogs and social media accounts on Friday -- possibly in response to the University of Miami Starbucks incident.
The coffee giant has reminded outlets that they do not have to write or call out names when a customer orders a cup of joe.
"Over the years, writing customer names on cups and calling out their names has been a fun ritual in our stores. Rarely has it been abused or taken advantage of," Starbucks said in a statement.
"We hope and trust that our customers will continue to honour that tradition. We don't require our partners to write or call out names," it said.
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