In an unconventional campaign stop that blended fast food with politics, Donald Trump took over the fry station at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on Sunday. Wearing an apron over his suit and tie, the Republican presidential nominee took aim at Kamala Harris’ long-standing claim of working at the fast-food chain in her college days.
With reporters and MAGA aides gathered around, Trump received a crash course in fry-making, eagerly dunking baskets of fries into sizzling oil, salting them, and scooping them into boxes.
Trump, a well-known fan of McDonald’s, said, “I don’t even have to touch them with my hands! Incredible!”, grinning as he maneuvered his way around the fry station. “It requires great expertise, actually, to do it right and to do it fast,” he added with a smirk.
Trump’s impromptu stint behind the counter was more than just a quirky photo op. As Election Day looms just weeks away, the visit was a thinly veiled jab at Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Harris has spoken about her time working at McDonald’s during her college years, a story Trump has repeatedly questioned, dubbing her “Lyin’ Kamala.”
Seizing the opportunity, Trump claimed he had worked longer at the McDonald’s fry station that day than Harris did during her college stint. “Fifteen minutes longer, believe me!” he said. “I love McDonald’s, I love jobs, and I love seeing good jobs,” he added.
But the show didn’t stop at the fry station. Trump, apron still on, took to the drive-thru window for an impromptu press conference, leaning out to answer questions from reporters huddled outside. Asked what message he had for Kamala Harris on her 60th birthday, which coincidentally fell on the same day, Trump said, “Happy Birthday, Kamala! I think I’ll get her some flowers.”
Trump’s fry-slinging tour in the battleground state was part of a broader effort to keep Harris’s McDonald’s story in the spotlight, continuing to question the legitimacy of her summer job experience. “I could do this all day,” he boasted, poking fun at the notion of Harris having done the same years ago.
As the fast-food spectacle wound down, aides nudged Trump to wrap things up, reminding him of his next campaign stop. With a final flourish, he leaned out of the window and declared, “Wasn’t that a strange place to do a news conference?”
Before leaving, Trump, who has often sidestepped questions about minimum wage policies, took a moment to praise the McDonald’s crew. “These people work hard. They’re great. I just saw something … a process that’s beautiful.” He sidestepped directly addressing whether his presidency would support wage increases for those manning the fryers.
The former president left Pennsylvania, proving that in Trump’s world, even McDonald’s can be a campaign battlefield.
