Trump serves McDonald’s fries to supporters in stage-managed campaign stop
Posted on 10/21/2024
FEASTERVILLE, Pa. — Former president Donald Trump briefly manned the fry station during a stage-managed visit to a McDonald’s franchise here on Sunday, but he dodged a question about increasing the minimum wage.
Wearing an apron, the Republican presidential nominee lifted fries out of the hot oil, shook them, salted them and placed them into containers for service. He praised the staff and the company, then popped his head out the drive-through window and waved at a crowd that had gathered across the street. He began to hand out paper bags to the cars that had been waiting in line before his arrival. One man said, “Trump 2024!” as he drove away.
The restaurant was closed to the public during Trump’s visit, and the motorists whom Trump served were screened by the U.S. Secret Service and positioned before his arrival. No one ordered food. Instead, the attendees received whatever Trump gave them.
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Trump was at the fry station for about five minutes and spent about 15 minutes at the drive-through window, much of it taking questions from reporters.
“This is not a normal situation, is it?” he said while waving through the window at the crowd of supporters gathered outside.
Asked whether he’d accept the 2024 election results, he did not commit. “Sure, if it’s a fair election,” he said, as he has before.
Trump, a real-estate-billionaire-turned-politician, also did not answer a question about whether he supported raising the minimum wage.
“Well, I think this. These people work hard,” Trump said. “They’re great. And I just saw something — a process that’s beautiful.”
McDonald’s workers make an average of $13 to $15 per hour nationwide, according to hiring websites Indeed and ZipRecruiter. In Pennsylvania, which follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, fast-food workers make an average of $13.20 per hour, according to 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
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For years, McDonald’s workers and allied activists have pressured the company and other fast-food giants to raise their pay and call for a higher federal minimum wage through groups such as Fight for $15.
In 2019 and 2020, activists called on Derek Giacomantonio, the franchisee who opened his doors to Trump on Sunday, to raise wages at one of his franchises in Philadelphia. Giacomantonio, who owns eight McDonald’s locations in the Philadelphia region, also lobbied against a state proposal to make more workers eligible for overtime.
Trump’s visit to McDonald’s was not in support of the minimum-wage effort. Instead, he focused on promoting his unsubstantiated claim that Vice President Kamala Harris did not work at the fast-food chain in college.
Harris has talked about working at McDonald’s at campaign events and even in an ad, as a way to highlight her middle-class background. In one Harris campaign ad, the narrator says: “She grew up in a middle-class home. She was the daughter of a working mom. And she worked at McDonald’s while she got her degree.”
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The vice president worked at McDonald’s on Central Avenue in Alameda, Calif., in the summer of 1983, according to her campaign. Harris was a student at Howard University at the time. Her responsibilities including working the cash register along with the fry and ice cream machines, her campaign said.
Harris spoke about her stint at McDonald’s in an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” earlier this year. She also talked about the job in 2019, when she joined McDonald’s workers in Las Vegas who were protesting for higher wages.
“When Trump feels desperate, all he knows how to do is lie. He can’t understand what it’s like to have a summer job because he was handed millions on a silver platter, only to blow it,” said Ian Sams, a Harris campaign spokesperson.
Although Harris and McDonald’s have not produced any evidence proving that she worked at the fast-food chain, a short stint of summer employment four decades ago is not likely to have resulted in any permanently preserved records. In pro-Trump media, however, the absence of documentation has morphed into proof that Harris lied.
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Evidence has not restrained Trump’s past attacks on his political opponents. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by promoting a false conspiracy theory questioning President Barack Obama’s citizenship.
“Now I’ve worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala,” Trump said as he wrapped up his time at the fryer. When asked why Harris would lie about working at McDonald’s, Trump responded: “Because she’s Lyin’ Kamala.”
Trump has long been a fan of McDonald’s, and once filmed an ad for the fast-food chain. During a 2016 CNN town hall, Trump told Anderson Cooper that his McDonald’s meal of choice was the “fish delight,” before musing that “the Big Macs are great, the Quarter Pounders with cheese.” As president in January 2019, Trump ordered fast food from McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and Domino’s for a White House event for the Clemson University football team.
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While filling a box of fries, Trump, who has described himself as a germaphobe, observed: “Never touches the human hand, nice and full.”
“Never touched a human hand,” he said. “Nice and clean.”
Ahead of Trump’s visit Sunday, Giacomantonio posted a letter saying: “We proudly open our doors to everyone and as a locally owned and operated location, this visit provides a unique opportunity to shine a light on the positive impact of small businesses here in Feasterville.”
He also posted on X: “Personally speaking, our doors are always open to the community. It’s Americana. I would open the door for either Presidential candidate. Former President Clinton went to a @McDonalds last week. I thought it was great (and déjà vu). @KamalaHarris is also a fan of the brand.”
Trump appeared to enjoy the visit and took in the crowd: “Look at how happy everyone is. They need hope.”
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Afterward, Trump held a town hall in Lancaster, Pa., where he took questions from supporters on his key campaign messages, including immigration and exempting tips and Social Security income from taxation. Trump said he got the idea for removing taxes on tips from a waitress who approached him at his Las Vegas property.
Trump was scheduled to attend a Pittsburgh Steelers football game later Sunday.
Mariana Alfaro, Emily Heil and Justine McDaniel contributed to this report.
Wearing an apron, the Republican presidential nominee lifted fries out of the hot oil, shook them, salted them and placed them into containers for service. He praised the staff and the company, then popped his head out the drive-through window and waved at a crowd that had gathered across the street. He began to hand out paper bags to the cars that had been waiting in line before his arrival. One man said, “Trump 2024!” as he drove away.
The restaurant was closed to the public during Trump’s visit, and the motorists whom Trump served were screened by the U.S. Secret Service and positioned before his arrival. No one ordered food. Instead, the attendees received whatever Trump gave them.
Advertisement
Trump was at the fry station for about five minutes and spent about 15 minutes at the drive-through window, much of it taking questions from reporters.
“This is not a normal situation, is it?” he said while waving through the window at the crowd of supporters gathered outside.
Asked whether he’d accept the 2024 election results, he did not commit. “Sure, if it’s a fair election,” he said, as he has before.
Trump, a real-estate-billionaire-turned-politician, also did not answer a question about whether he supported raising the minimum wage.
“Well, I think this. These people work hard,” Trump said. “They’re great. And I just saw something — a process that’s beautiful.”
McDonald’s workers make an average of $13 to $15 per hour nationwide, according to hiring websites Indeed and ZipRecruiter. In Pennsylvania, which follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, fast-food workers make an average of $13.20 per hour, according to 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Advertisement
For years, McDonald’s workers and allied activists have pressured the company and other fast-food giants to raise their pay and call for a higher federal minimum wage through groups such as Fight for $15.
In 2019 and 2020, activists called on Derek Giacomantonio, the franchisee who opened his doors to Trump on Sunday, to raise wages at one of his franchises in Philadelphia. Giacomantonio, who owns eight McDonald’s locations in the Philadelphia region, also lobbied against a state proposal to make more workers eligible for overtime.
Trump’s visit to McDonald’s was not in support of the minimum-wage effort. Instead, he focused on promoting his unsubstantiated claim that Vice President Kamala Harris did not work at the fast-food chain in college.
Harris has talked about working at McDonald’s at campaign events and even in an ad, as a way to highlight her middle-class background. In one Harris campaign ad, the narrator says: “She grew up in a middle-class home. She was the daughter of a working mom. And she worked at McDonald’s while she got her degree.”
Advertisement
The vice president worked at McDonald’s on Central Avenue in Alameda, Calif., in the summer of 1983, according to her campaign. Harris was a student at Howard University at the time. Her responsibilities including working the cash register along with the fry and ice cream machines, her campaign said.
Harris spoke about her stint at McDonald’s in an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” earlier this year. She also talked about the job in 2019, when she joined McDonald’s workers in Las Vegas who were protesting for higher wages.
“When Trump feels desperate, all he knows how to do is lie. He can’t understand what it’s like to have a summer job because he was handed millions on a silver platter, only to blow it,” said Ian Sams, a Harris campaign spokesperson.
Although Harris and McDonald’s have not produced any evidence proving that she worked at the fast-food chain, a short stint of summer employment four decades ago is not likely to have resulted in any permanently preserved records. In pro-Trump media, however, the absence of documentation has morphed into proof that Harris lied.
Advertisement
Evidence has not restrained Trump’s past attacks on his political opponents. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by promoting a false conspiracy theory questioning President Barack Obama’s citizenship.
“Now I’ve worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala,” Trump said as he wrapped up his time at the fryer. When asked why Harris would lie about working at McDonald’s, Trump responded: “Because she’s Lyin’ Kamala.”
Trump has long been a fan of McDonald’s, and once filmed an ad for the fast-food chain. During a 2016 CNN town hall, Trump told Anderson Cooper that his McDonald’s meal of choice was the “fish delight,” before musing that “the Big Macs are great, the Quarter Pounders with cheese.” As president in January 2019, Trump ordered fast food from McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and Domino’s for a White House event for the Clemson University football team.
Advertisement
While filling a box of fries, Trump, who has described himself as a germaphobe, observed: “Never touches the human hand, nice and full.”
“Never touched a human hand,” he said. “Nice and clean.”
Ahead of Trump’s visit Sunday, Giacomantonio posted a letter saying: “We proudly open our doors to everyone and as a locally owned and operated location, this visit provides a unique opportunity to shine a light on the positive impact of small businesses here in Feasterville.”
He also posted on X: “Personally speaking, our doors are always open to the community. It’s Americana. I would open the door for either Presidential candidate. Former President Clinton went to a @McDonalds last week. I thought it was great (and déjà vu). @KamalaHarris is also a fan of the brand.”
Trump appeared to enjoy the visit and took in the crowd: “Look at how happy everyone is. They need hope.”
Advertisement
Afterward, Trump held a town hall in Lancaster, Pa., where he took questions from supporters on his key campaign messages, including immigration and exempting tips and Social Security income from taxation. Trump said he got the idea for removing taxes on tips from a waitress who approached him at his Las Vegas property.
Trump was scheduled to attend a Pittsburgh Steelers football game later Sunday.
Mariana Alfaro, Emily Heil and Justine McDaniel contributed to this report.
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