An ordinary lunch that the Republican senator from Kentucky was having in a California restaurant on 18 October became a source for discussions on Twitter after a man and woman approached him and one of his senior staffers to apparently engage in a political discussion with them. Although it's not entirely clear how the conversation went, the elderly woman who was filming the encounter apparently eventually lost her temper.
She exclaimed that she and the man were "from New York" and would not be "putting up with Republican bullsh*t", showing the middle finger to a person who was also recording the incident. It's unclear what exactly she was referring to, but Paul's staffer, Sergio Gor, derided her "verbally assault" on the senator, while "complaining about incivility".
Twitterians were mostly infuriated by the incident, which was far from the first occasion when Republican politicians have been unable to enjoy their meals in peace due to people harassing them over political issues.
Many netizens noted that such behaviour had become typical of supporters of the Democratic Party since Trump won the 2016 presidential election, expressing fear that it could get worse if he wins again in 2020.
Some, however, argued that people acting inappropriately due to disagreeing with an opponent's political stance can be found on both sides of the aisle.
One twitterian suggested that the woman probably lost her temper for a reason, not just because she was uncivil.
The woman sparked fury among netizens in New York after saying that she and the man were from the state, with users arguing that she doesn’t speak for everyone there.
Last June, former spokeswoman for the White House Sarah Huckabee Sanders reported that she had been asked to leave The Red Hen restaurant by the establishment's owner because she was working for President Donald Trump. Sanders noted that she "politely" obeyed the demand and added that the owner's actions "say far more about her than about me".