A U.S. Marine Corps veteran was forced to leave a classic car meet at a California brewery after organizers objected to the American flag and a Trump “I Will Never Surrender” flag displayed on his vehicle, calling the displays “political.”
Jorge Cortez, a USMC veteran, said he was confronted at the event held in the parking lot of M Special Brewing Company in Goleta. According to Cortez, an employee and coordinator from R&R Motorworks, which ran the car meet, demanded he take the flags down. When he refused, the brewery manager was brought in and sheriffs were called.
“I was kicked out of a car meet and threatened with trespassing (sheriffs were called) at a California brewery parking lot for flying an American flag and a Trump ‘I Will Never Surrender’ flag on my classic car because it was ‘political,’” Cortez posted on X along with video of the confrontation. “This is California. TDS is real.”
In the roughly eight-minute video, the female event coordinator can be seen gesturing toward Cortez’s blue classic Chevy Nova and explaining the decision as she stands in the parking lot. Cortez said the responding sheriffs were professional and polite but correctly noted it was private property, leaving them unable to intervene. He left the premises to avoid a trespassing citation.
Cortez pointed to what he described as selective standards. He noted that the brewery’s Santa Barbara location has a transgender pride flag hanging on its front door.
“Politics is fine… as long as they’re the right kind that they agree on,” he wrote. “This is how they treat U.S. military veterans who support the country and the @POTUS @realDonaldTrump.”
The incident has drawn sharp reactions online from supporters who called Cortez a patriot and urged others to avoid the brewery and the event organizers. Critics of the decision argued that private property rights allow businesses to set rules, while others highlighted the optics of removing national and presidential flags while tolerating other political symbols.
Cortez’s account underscores ongoing cultural flashpoints in deep-blue California, where displays of patriotism and support for President Trump continue to spark confrontations at public and private events.
