Sarris Candies on Thursday reportedly posted an apology on its Facebook page for hosting a campaign stop for Rick Saccone with Donald Trump Jr. — and then deleted it.
According to the Washington Observer-Reporter, the Canonsburg-based candy company posted the apology about 12:30 p.m. and deleted it less than two hours later. The post had garnered more than 700 comments, many of which were critical of the apology.
The Observer-Reporter posted a screenshot of the apology, which read in part: “We would like to send an apology to all those that responded negatively to our visit from Mr. Saccone and Mr. Trump. When their camp asked if they could visit, we felt proud that we would have a chance to show off our facility to a national audience. We underestimated the political repercussions as a result of that visit. We sincerely apologize to those who were offended and know that in the future we will be much more in tune with who we allow to visit.”
An employee who answered the phone Thursday evening at the Sarris factory was unable to talk about the post, and the company’s owner, Bill Sarris, could not be reached.
Mr. Saccone and Mr. Trump Jr. toured the candy factory Monday during a campaign stop before the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District.
Sarris received backlash from customers over hosting the Republican candidate and son of the president, and some had threatened to boycott the company.
Democrat Conor Lamb won the election by a slim margin, and Republicans are deciding whether to contest it.
It’s not unusual for small businesses to host political candidates, and Monday wasn’t the first time the Sarris factory did so.
Rudy Giuliani visited the factory in 2007 during his bid to become the Republican presidential candidate the next year.
Barack Obama stopped at Pamela’s Diner in the Strip District during his 2008 presidential campaign.
Hillary Clinton and Chris Christie separately visited Primanti Brothers locations during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
John Kasich visited the Oyster House in Market Square during that same race.
Jen Grippo, general manager of the Oyster House, said after Mr. Kasich’s stop that a visit from a politician can be a boon to business.
“There’s a little bit of a boost as far as social media goes,” Ms. Grippo said. “There’s more traffic on our website and the curiosity starts going. But after it’s done, it’s kind of like, ‘All right, we’re back to business.’”
First Published: March 15, 2018, 11:10 p.m.
