Former President Donald Trump caused a stir in Pennsylvania when he manned the fry station at a local McDonald’s before holding an impromptu news conference from the drive-thru window.
The spectacle unfolded at a Feasterville-Trevose McDonald’s on Sunday, where Trump, wearing an apron over his shirt and tie, learned how to prepare fries from employees and took questions from the press as he served takeout bags.
As reporters watched, an employee showed Trump how to operate the fry station, dunking the baskets of fries into the oil, adding salt, and using a scoop to box the fries.
Trump, well-known for his love of fast food and aversion to germs, expressed surprise that he didn’t need to touch the fries with his hands.
“It requires great expertise, actually, to do it right and to do it fast,” Trump commented with a grin, clearly enjoying the moment.
This visit came as Trump attempted to counter Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ claims of working at a McDonald’s during her college years.
Trump, without providing evidence, has repeatedly stated that Harris never worked at the fast-food chain, despite her public statements to the contrary.
A large crowd of supporters lined the streets outside the McDonald’s in Bucks County, a key swing area north of Philadelphia.
Although the restaurant was closed to the public, supporters cheered from across the street as Trump leaned out of the drive-thru window, still wearing his apron, to answer media questions.
Asked if he would accept the results of next month’s election, Trump said, “I would respect the results of next month’s vote if it’s a fair election.”
In a lighter moment, Trump joked with a reporter about getting them ice cream.
When asked what birthday message he had for Harris, who turned 60 on Sunday, Trump responded, “I would say, ‘Happy Birthday, Kamala,’” before adding, “I think I’ll get her some flowers.”
While the former president didn’t directly address the topic of increasing minimum wages after observing McDonald’s employees at work, he did praise the staff, saying,
“These people work hard. They’re great.” He went on to describe the fry-making process as “a process that’s beautiful.”
Despite aides urging Trump to wrap up the event to head to his next campaign stop, he took a moment to acknowledge the unusual setting for his press conference, joking, “Wasn’t that a strange place to do a news conference?”
Trump has fixated on Harris’ summer job at McDonald’s, repeatedly claiming that she “lied about working” there.
However, the vice president has pushed back against these claims, reaffirming in an interview that she did, in fact, work at a McDonald’s while attending college.
“Part of the reason I even talk about having worked at McDonald’s is because there are people who work at McDonald’s in our country who are trying to raise a family,” Harris stated. “I worked there as a student.”
This exchange is just one example of Trump’s tendency to attack his opponents based on personal history, particularly women and people of color.
Throughout his career, Trump has been involved in spreading groundless claims, such as the “birther” conspiracy against former President Barack Obama and unfounded allegations about fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s father.
Trump’s visit to the McDonald’s was organized by local supporter and fundraiser Jim Worthington, who coordinated with the restaurant’s owner, Derek Giacomantonio, to make the event happen.
“It is a fundamental value of my organization that we proudly open our doors to everyone who visits the Feasterville community,” Giacomantonio said in a statement.
“That’s why I accepted former President Trump’s request to observe the transformative working experience that 1 in 8 Americans have had: a job at McDonald’s.”
While Trump supporters gathered across the street waving flags and cheering, Giacomantonio initially had concerns about hosting the event.
According to Worthington, the McDonald’s franchise owner worried that being associated with Trump might hurt his business or spark a boycott.
However, Worthington reassured him and emphasized the benefits of the visit.
Despite the unusual setting and the mixture of fast food and politics, Trump’s McDonald’s stop in Feasterville-Trevose created a memorable moment in his Pennsylvania campaign swing.
