So, Presidents of the Unites States are a protected (against discrimination) class now?
In hindsight, it was probably just as well for Obama that he didn’t go golfing at Trump National last fall.
Again, not exactly on point, but there have been athletes who have been invited to the White House (usually as part of the honoring of a championship team) who have declined, often due to political differences.
What about earlier in the nation’s history, when the security apparatus had not been built, and Presidents could roam around “off-leash”? Especially before the Civil War.
Go back far enough, and they might not even have recognised the President?
One of my favorite examples of what the new republic was supposed to be like, in contrast to the monarchies across the pond - when Jefferson was done with the inauguration in 1801, he walked back to his rooming house for dinner and went up to his room.
What happened to “respecting the office”?
It’ll never happen because the president doesn’t just pop-in to places without planning.
Bill Clinton certainly had a tough time getting accepted for membership at country clubs while planning his departure from office and moving to Westchester County. The official line was that they don’t give preferential treatment for membership - no jumping the line.
Closest I’ve heard of is a case in 1994, when 6 black Secret Service agents for President (Bill) Clinton were refused a table at a Denny’s restaurant in Maryland, while their white colleagues were seated & served. But it was just them, the President himself was not there.
That was just one incident in a pattern of discrimination by Denny’s, which led to them eventually paying a fine of $50 million+.
Yep.
Oh…*first *heard it…60s, for me… Probably from the 50s.
Lincoln rode around by himself on his horse. Ironically the bill that created the Secret Service was on Lincoln’s desk the night he was killed.
Yep, a president I actively disliked stops into my place of business and I’d treat him the same way I’d treat a president I actively campaigned for. It’s not Bush, Carter, Nison, Clinton, Obama, etc it’s the fucking president!
But he never went out without a pocketful of pennies, which he used as ID!
I have never worked where a president showed up, but plenty of senators and the odd governor, and it was a big deal, well planned in advance…and they were always significantly late. Very disruptive to the business.