Tore Maras walked into a Michaels store in Mayfield, Ohio, on October 25 carrying three pieces she wanted custom-framed for her home. The podcaster and influencer, known online as Chaos Coordinator, filmed the interaction after a staff member turned down the request.
She had brought a portrait showing President Donald Trump seated in Winston Churchill’s chair, a newspaper page from the 1969 moon landing, and a watercolor of presidents praying by artist Jon McNaughton. Maras described them as some of her favorite images and said she simply wanted them framed for display.
The employee declined to proceed. In the caption of the video she later posted on TikTok, Maras wrote, “Apparently ‘custom framing’ now means the clerk approved your art first. Is that corporate policy, or just one employee’s politics?”
Company states it has no rule against framing political artwork and has reached out
Maras told Blaze Media that the staffer indicated the manager considered the items sensitive or inappropriate. On camera she asked, “So this lady decided she didn’t want to service me because she didn’t like the pictures I brought for framing?”
She also wondered aloud whether the refusal was official store policy and mentioned that she intended to contact Michaels directly about the experience. The video had received more than 11,000 likes and 1,300 comments by Wednesday afternoon. Customers recording their run-ins with staff is becoming common, as in the case of a customer filming a Tim Hortons confrontation.
A Michaels spokesperson replied under the post: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Michaels does not have a policy prohibiting the framing of political items, and we strive to welcome every customer. We’ve reached out directly to discuss your experience and ensure your project needs are met.”
The retailer later gave the same account to the Daily Mail, confirming it had followed up with the customer to resolve the matter and meet her framing needs.
The Mail pointed out that a similar refusal was reported in 2024. Another Michaels customer said an employee would not frame a photo of Trump raising his fist after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. That customer stated the employee felt uncomfortable with the image. Trump has also described a company turning down one of his requests, as with Trump claiming Google CEO refused request.
Published: Oct 29, 2026 12:00 pm