[ABC] WAYCROSS, Ga. ‐ A Santa Claus who sparked controversy after posting a photo of himself wearing a hat supporting President Trump at a Georgia mall shared his side of the story Tuesday via Facebook.Frank Skinner has played Santa Claus every Christmas for nearly 50 years, including the past 14 years at the Mall of Waycross in Georgia.
Skinner said the mall was closing and no children were around when he decided to switch hats and pose with the President Trump hat for fun.
"It really was an innocent thing. It really was," he told First Coast News.
Skinner believes someone saw the photo on his Facebook page and sent it to mall management - he was then told not to come back.
"I just felt like my constitutional rights were being taken away," he said.
In a lengthy statement posted to his personal Facebook page Tuesday afternoon, Skinner said he didn't intend to "create a firestorm by doing that but simply intended to post the photo on my page for a little humor, as I have many friends and family who, like me, support our president."
Skinner said after he posted the photo to his personal Facebook page, someone took a screenshot of the photo and reported it. The photo eventually made its way to mall management with a request to remove the hat. Skinner said the request was made out of context "as if I wear [the hat] all day."
Since that day, Skinner said he's unsure what actions the mall will take next after he was replaced as management investigates.
No matter what happens next, Skinner wants to make it clear that he did not intend to offend and that he's learned a serious lesson.
"I in no way meant to cause anyone discomfort," Skinner said. "At the time I thought it was harmless fun. Now I realize in this day and age that I should not have posted it. Obviously it did offend some folks. I can assure everyone that was not my intent. I have learned a lot from this. Going forward I will keep this in mind."