Donald Trump has received the meme treatment after the Republican nominee was ridiculed on social media for his McDonald’s drive-thru stunt.
Trump was in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, yesterday for a photo op in a McDonalds.
The former President donned an apron, helped package some fries and served food to customers through a drive thru window in a bid to undermine Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who has repeatedly touted how she worked the fast food franchise during her college years, although her camp hasn’t furnished any photos of her youthful job there.
However, it was Trump who left the fast food restaurant with egg mcmuffin on his face after the stunt received the meme treatment online.
Journalist and founder of the Drudge Report – Matt Drudge – led the charge with a post on X showing Trump dressed up as McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald with the caption: ‘McDonald one fry short of a happy meal.’
The former President donned an apron, helped package some fries and served food to customers through a drive thru window in a bid to undermine Democratic nominee Kamala Harris , who has repeatedly touted how she worked the fast food franchise during her college years
However, it was Trump who left the fast food restaurant with egg mcmuffin on his face after the stunt received the meme treatment online. Journalist and founder of the Drudge Report – Matt Drudge – led the charge with a post on X showing Trump dressed up as McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald
Comedian Bridget Phetasy shared a picture of Trump in 2019 and yesterday with the caption: ‘How it started How it’s going’
The post has since been seen by over one million users and was followed by numerous other posts mocking the photo op.
Comedian Bridget Phetasy shared a picture of Trump next to a mountain of McDonald’s food items in the White House in 2019 after he invited Clemson University’s football team to celebrate their victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Next to this image was a picture of Trump at the drive thru yesterday with the caption: ‘How it started How it’s going.’
Some social media users shared more kind memes about Trump’s shift behind the fryer.
X user Jesse James shared a picture of Trump calling him the employee of the month.
Meanwhile, another user reposted a post about a McDonald’s allegedly burning down in Minneapolis with the caption: ‘Under Gov Waltz.’ A reference to Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Waltz.
Democrats have slammed Trump’s McDonald’s visit to the store, which closed the restaurant to real customers, as a ‘stunt’ that has ‘no logic to it’, adding that the former president ‘appears to be not well’.
Some social media users shared more kind memes about Trump’s shift behind the fryer in McDonalds.
Donald Trump (pictured at the drive-thru of the McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania on Sunday) said he would respect the results of next month’s vote ‘if it’s a fair election ‘ after he served bags of takeout to his supporters through drive-thru window at a McDonald’s in a key swing voter area
An apparently excited Trump supporters smiles and praises the former president as he hands the takeout order to her
After serving bags of takeout to people in the drive-thru lane, Trump leaned out of the window, still wearing the apron, to take questions from the media staged outside.
He dodged most policy questions, including whether he backs an increase in the minimum wage, but did use the opportunity to take aim at his rival.
‘I’ve now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala,’ Trump said, revisiting his claim that his rival didn’t work at McDonald’s as a student as she says she did.
Asked by a reporter why Harris would lie about working at the restaurant, Trump replied, ‘Because she’s “lying Kamala,”‘ applying a moniker.
He also said he would ‘always’ accept the results of a ‘fair election’ before touting his successes in the polls.
‘We’re leading in all the polls, we’re leading in every swing state,’ he said, adding: ‘We’re doing well.’ Trump also alleged that a RealClearPolitics poll claims he has a ‘93.2 per cent chance of winning’. He added: ‘I think that’s pretty good.’
The Republican candidate has fixated in recent weeks on the summer job Harris said she held in college, working the cash register and making fries at McDonald’s while in college.
But his rival’s supporters allege the McDonald’s allegations and store visit is ‘stunt’ is a distraction from addressing real issues.
‘There’s no logic to it,’ Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee (CA) told MSNBC host Alex Witt on Sunday. ‘It’s a stunt. He has not put forth an economic agenda. He, as you know, appears to be not well. And, he’s engaged in some really bizarre types of activities during this campaign.’
She added: ‘This is just another one of those stunts that he will continue on through the campaign, and I think we really need to really focus on making sure that he is not elected of course.’
The store owner posted a sign on his store, announcing the closure and writing that ‘while we are not a political organization, we proudly open our doors to everyone.’ He said the visit gave the chance to ‘shine a light on the positive impact of small businesses
Trump, leaning out of the window and still wearing his McDonald’s apron, was asked by reporters staged outside the fast food restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania if he would accept the election results regardless of the outcome.
Harris spokesman Joseph Costello said the former president’s McDonald’s visit ‘howed exactly what we would see in a second Trump term: exploiting working people for his own personal gain.’
‘Trump doesn’t understand what it’s like to work for a living, no matter how many staged photo ops he does, and his entire second term plan is to give himself, his wealthy buddies, and giant corporations another massive tax cut,’ Costello said in a statement.
Ian Sams, another spokesman for the Vice President, told Reuters that the stunt was a sign of the real estate mogul’s desperation.
‘All he knows how to do is lie,’ he said. ‘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.’
Harris has said she worked the cash register, ice cream machine and fry machine at a California McDonald’s while she was a student at Howard University. Her campaign has said she worked at an Alameda franchise in 1983.
Harris also referenced her time working there in her 2019 presidential campaign. Her camp hasn’t furnished any photos of her youthful job there.
The franchise had placed an advertisement in a local high school yearbook that year, which featured photographs of student-workers, although Harris was not one of them.
A student featured in the photos told the BBC that he did not recall the now-Democratic nominee working alongside him over 40 years ago.
But one of Harris’ high school friends, Wanda Kagan, told the New York Times that she remembers the now-Vice President working at the fast food restaurant around that time.
Although neither Harris nor Trump have provided any evidence to support their claims about her alleged employment at McDonald’s, Trump claims he asked the Alameda restaurant manager about her job there.
‘I know she didn’t [work there],’ he told Fox News last Thursday. ‘We checked it out. They said she never worked here. She even picked the store. We went to the manager. The manager’’ been there forever.’
Representatives for McDonald’s did not respond to a message about whether the company had employment records for the Alameda restaurant from more than 40 years ago.
One man, apparently accompanied by his wife, told Trump ‘you are the type of person we want to be the president’, after thanking him for ‘everything you’re doing.’
Another customer, who claimed to be originally from Brazil , shouted with excitement when she pulled up to the window, before telling Trump: ‘Mr President, please don’t let the United States become Brazil!’ The GOP candidate vowed that ‘we’re going to make it better than ever.’
At the Feasterville-Trevose McDonald’s on Sunday, Trump removed his suit jacket, put on a black and yellow apron and proceeded to cook batches of french fries, something he said he had wanted to do ‘all my life’.
‘I’m looking for a job. And I’ve always wanted to work at McDonald’s but I never did,’ Trump said as he introduced himself to franchise owner Derek Giacomantonio. ‘I’m running against somebody that said she did, but it turned out to be a totally phony story.’
‘So, if you don’t mind, I want to work the French fry counter. How much are you paying me?’ the billionaire ex-president said with a laugh.
Trump then proceeded to dip wire baskets of potatoes in sizzling oil before salting them and handing them out to customers through the restaurant’s drive-through window. Thousands of people lined the street opposite the restaurant to watch.
Video captured from within the kitchen showed Trump passing out orders to a group of grateful prearranged ‘customers’ – Trump supporters understood to have been pre-selected by his camp – who were were to see the ex-president serving their food and told him why they’ll be supporting him in the election next month.
One man, apparently accompanied by his wife, told Trump, 78, ‘you are the type of person we want to be the president’, after thanking him for ‘everything you’re doing.’ His passenger added: ‘Thank you for taking the bullet for us.’
Another customer, who claimed to be originally from Brazil, shouted with enthusiasm when she pulled up to the window, before telling the GOP candidate: ‘Mr President, please don’t let the United States become Brazil!’ Trump, in his reply, vowed that ‘we’re going to make it better than ever.’
Former President Donald Trump grins as he chats with employees at a suburban Philadelphia McDonald’s on Sunday. Trump was taught how to make McDonald’s trademark French fries, in a move designed to troll Vice President Kamala Harris
Supporters react with excitement as Donald Trump hands them an order at a drive-thru window during a campaign stop at a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania
Trump greets a ‘prearranged customer’ as he serves food at a McDonalds restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania on Sunday
Prior to Trump’s arrival at the restaurant on Sunday, the first customer at the drive-thru was anything but random.
He identified himself to DailyMail.com only by his first name of Jim, and called himself a Trump supporter. He said he didn’t believe Harris ever worked at the chain. ‘I don’t believe her at all,’ he said.
As for his own order for a packed SUV, ‘I think we’re going to surprise with some chicken nuggets,’ he said.
A massive security presence guarded the fast-food stop. Secret Service agents and local law enforcement secured the exurban corridor, with snipers on a nearby roof.
The throngs of MAGA fans lining the streets outside the restaurant booed loudly when cars brandishing Harris-Walz flags occasionally drove buy.
Fans let out chants of ‘Trump! Trump! Trump!’ in anticipation, even with little hope of catching a close-up glimpse of their favorite candidate.
The Trump campaign took extraordinary measures to control the event, letting in just a small ‘pool’ of reporters with no representative from print or online media for the photo-op.
It was a sign of the high stakes of the symbolism the campaign is deploying in an effort to peel away Blue Wall states by prying away working class voters from the suburbs and exurbs.
Busy in the kitchen! Trump wore a McDonald’s apron as he grabbed to-go orders
Trump waved to crowds through the service window during his shift at the eatery
One stunned McDonald’s customer gasped as she was greeted by the 45th president
Trump was catering to a handful of prearranged ‘customers’ who were supporters. He also said the meals were taken care of, which speeded processing.
‘I’m having a lot of fun here, everybody,’ he declared.
Asked what he’s getting paid, he quipped, ‘Not enough – I want more money.’
‘It’s a good job, isn’t it? Not bad. You have a nice owner?’ Trump asked an employee inside the restaurant.
‘Be careful, he’s right there,’ the ex-president said with a laugh. ‘Be careful. Eight years, that’s the end of that.’
With the boss looking on, the employee said that franchise owner, Giacomantonio, was great.
Asked about his own first summer job and entry-level positions, Trump told DailyMail.com through the drive-thru window: ‘It requires expertise, I’m going through the whole french fry stuff. It’s a whole process.’
‘I’ll never forget this experience,’ he said, without divulging anything about his time working for his father’s business.
Dozens of Trump fans came out in force to watch the former president get greasy
During his extended turn at the drive-thru window, Trump found himself in customer service mode, answering repeated questions from reporters. With security around the former president still high, there were no opportunities to interact with regular customers who might have popped in for a Big Mac or other menu item.
He even fielded a question from DailyMail.com about his latest chat with Benjamin Netanyahu, although he didn’t reveal anything about plans a potential IDF attack on Iran.
‘Bibi called me this morning. And he’s obviously got things going well. He likes to hear what I have to say,’ later clarifying that the call was Saturday.
Standing in his his blue apron with yellow straps, he wouldn’t say if Netanyahu would hold off on attacking Iran. ‘It would be very inappropriate. But they’re certainly in a better position, and fortunately they didn’t listen to Biden and Harris,’ he said. ‘They didn’t want him to do this,’ he said.
Trump even had birthday greetings for Harris when prompted.
‘It’s Kamala’s birthday? She’s 60 years old. I would say Happy Birthday, Kamala. She’s turning 60. I think I’ll get her some flowers. Maybe I’ll get her some fries. Give her some McDonald’s- I’ll get her a McDonald’s hamburger. Happy Birthday Kamala!’ Trump said – pronouncing her name correctly.
The GOP nominee got stuck in with the fry machine
Asked about his own first summer job and entry-level positions, Trump told DailyMail.com through the drive-thru window: ‘It requires expertise, I’m going through the whole french fry stuff. It’s a whole process’
Fries with that? Trump ended up fielding reporters’ questions from the drive-thru window
Roaring fans lined the street outside the McDonald’s
Trump even offered a few bags of fries to members of the press
He called some questions not appropriate to answer during his stint at the restaurant, but ended up speaking about whether he’d accept the results and Israel
Trump’s supporters got wind of the event and lined the street north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike long before Trump was set to appear. Tractor trailer trucks sounded their horns when they drove by hundreds of supporters who cheered and raised Trump flags.
Giacomantonio posted a sign on his store, announcing the closure and writing that ‘while we are not a political organization, we proudly open our doors to everyone.’ He said the visit gave the chance to ‘shine a light on the positive impact of small businesses.’
The Trump camp carefully shielded McDonald’s employees when they were outside the restaurant, and asked a photographer to delete images of them for security purposes.
The Republican nominee is spending the entire day campaigning in Pennsylvania, most likely a must-win state for him or Harris.
‘We’re going to the Pittsburgh game tonight. Pittsburgh Steelers. Should be good,’ said Trump at McDonald’s
The eastern part of the state roots for the Philadelphia Eagles, but there isn’t a strong rivalry between the teams.
Asked his favorite menu item, Trump – known for his love of fast food – responded: ‘I like it all … I like every ounce of it, everything. But I do like the French fries, where I’ll be working.’
Former President Donald Trump chose a McDonald’s in Bucks County, a battleground area of Pennsylvania, for his turn at the fryer
Former President Donald Trump makes French fries at a McDonald’s in suburban Philadelphia in a move to troll his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump insists Harris made up that she worked at a McDonald’s as a student in California
Workers smiled as they posed with Trump at the McDonald’s restaurant
Trump had been teasing the visit for weeks as a way to turn up the heat on his rival, as he did again at a rally in Latrobe near Pittsburgh Saturday night, when he once again accused his rival of faking her own claim to have worked there as a student.
Trump claimed she ‘lied about working at McDonald’s,’ then added: ‘That’s like not a big thing, but can I be honest with you, it’s terrible,’ he said at an event where he spoke about the size of golf legend Arnold Palmer’s manhood.
‘I’m going to McDonald’s to work the french fry,’ Trump said. ‘I think I’m doing it tomorrow, and I think it’s in a place in Pennsylvania, and I’m going to stand over that french fry.’
Trump’s team has also been raising doubts about Harris’s resume.
His senior advisor Jason Miller said Trump was doing the visit ‘so that one candidate in this race can actually have worked at McDonald’s.’
‘Since Kamala Harris has not, President Trump by the end of tomorrow will have worked at McDonald’s. He’ll have done fries more than Kamala Harris ever has,’ he said. ‘I think it shows he connects with hard-working Americans.’
Trump’s own jobs early in life were working for his father’s real estate company at construction sites and offices, which he did along with brothers Fred Jr. and Robert, according to the Miller Center at the University of Virginia.
It is just the latest effort by Trump to undermine Harris. In Atlanta last month and again during a podcast interview days ago, Trump raised questions about her racial identity (Harris’s father is from Jamaica and her mother was of Indian descent).
Trump supporters waited for hours for his McDonald’s visit
Armed agents lined a nearby roof
Trump has good reason to be hitting Bucks county, located north of the city of Philadelphia.
It is a populous ‘purple’ county whose votes are up for grabs.
Hillary Clinton narrowly edged Trump there in 2016, beating him 48.4 to 47.6 percent.
Joe Biden widened the margin in 2020, garnering 52 percent of the vote.
Trump carried the state with its 19 electoral votes in 2016, but Biden snatched it from him in 2020, winning by just 1 percent of the vote.
Harris highlighted her time at mickey D’s during the Democratic convention.
She spoke about it again last week as Trump was accusing her of faking it.
‘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 and pay rent on that,’ she told MSNBC.
‘And I think part of the difference between me and my opponent includes our perspective on the needs of the American people, and what our responsibility then is to meet those needs.’
‘But it was not a small job, like, I did the fries. I mean, you know, I did,’ she said.
Kamala Harris said she worked the fries while using a job at McDonald’s to support her studies
Then-President Donald Trump speaks behind a table full of McDonald’s hamburgers, Chick fil-a sandwiches and other fast food as he welcomes the 2018 Football Division I FCS champs North Dakota State Bison in the Diplomatic Room of the White House on March 4, 2019 in Washington, DC COVID protocols impacted kitchens at the time
Donald Trump eating McDonald’s on his plane. It appears he ordered a Big Mac, a large french fries and a Diet Coke
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Trump has been building up the McDonald’s appearance since a rally in Reno October 10.
‘Do you know what I am doing next week? I am going to a McDonald’s to work!’ he told the crowd.
He mentioned it again in Arizona, saying he would work the fryer ‘so I can see how hard her job that never turned out would be.’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke to the closeness of the race on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ Sunday.
”Well, I think if past is prologue, we’re set for another close race here in Pennsylvania. Let me explain: 2016, the race was decided by 44,000 votes. Donald Trump won here in Pennsylvania. In 2020, the race was settled by 80,000 votes. Joe Biden won. In both instances, it came down to a point or less. So the fact that you have polls showing that it’s, you know, a jump ball, a statistical dead heat, maybe Kamala Harris is up a point or so – that is not a shock,’ he said.
