News

Did This Woman's 'America Was Never Great' Hat Go Too Far? (Poll)

by Jake Cappuccino
YouTube/SILive.com

Last week, a Staten Island woman received death threats after she wore a custom hat to work that read, "America Was Never Great."

That woman was 22-year-old Krystal Lake, who spoofed the Donald Trump presidential campaign slogan "Make America Great Again!" last Sunday at her job at The Home Depot, where pictures of her and the hat were taken and circulated on social media.

By Wednesday, the Bernie Sanders supporter started receiving death threats and criticism over her hat.

Lake told The New York Times,

They were actually threatening to kill me over a hat, I couldn't believe it. I was calling my best friend and I was like, 'How is this happening? It's just a hat.'

But at the same time, Lake started receiving supporting messages.

According to the Times, The Home Depot had to stop answering the phone due to the number of calls regarding the hat.

In the time since the hat went viral, Lake's seemingly doubled down on her message with a tweet from May 19, even in light of the surrounding controversy.

Lake claimed other employees have worn pro-Trump pins without problems, so she didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen.

Trying to explain why her hat went viral, she said,

I feel it offended a lot of people because a lot of Trump supporters live in Staten Island. Trump is very rash and in your face, but when someone else has a message against him, his supporters can't take the criticisms.

Lake told the Staten Island Advance she "definitely" intends to wear the hat again, but said it doesn't mean she hates America.

She said,

People have been saying really racist things to me and that they're going to come and find me and that what I said is disgraceful and I hate America -- but I don't hate America. I know there are a lot of opportunities here. I just wish we would worry about making America better -- not 'great again.'

In light of this controversy, what do you think about Lake's decision to wear her hat? Let us know in the poll below or in the comments.

Citations: 'America Was Never Great' Hat Leads to Death Threats (The New York Times), Home Depot worker's 'America was never great' hat sparks social media rage (Staten Island Advance)