Trump does a shift at McDonald's in a bid to wow working-class voters
Published on 21/10/2024 - 12:20 GMT+2
The stunt follows his claims that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris lied about working at the restaurant chain while attending university.
US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump worked the fry station at a Pennsylvania McDonald's on Sunday, drawing attention to his claims that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris lied about previously working in the fast-food industry.
As reporters and aides watched, an employee showed the former president how to dunk baskets of fries in oil, salt them, and put them into boxes using a scoop.
“It requires great expertise, actually, to do it right and to do it fast,” Trump said with a grin, putting away his suit jacket and wearing an apron over his shirt and tie.
The visit came as he tried to counter Democratic nominee Kamala Harris's accounts on the campaign of working at a McDonald's while at university, an experience that Trump has claimed — without offering evidence — never happened.
A large crowd lined the street outside the restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose, a place part of a key swing voter area in Pennsylvania.
The McDonald's itself was shut off to the public during Trump's visit, a fact which caused some controversy online. Images circulated Sunday night of a paper stuck to the restaurant's door saying it would be closed until 4 pm local time to "accommodate a visit at the request of former President Trump and his campaign."
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 joked about getting one reporter ice cream and when another asked what message he had for Harris on her 60th birthday on Sunday, Trump said, “I would say, ‘Happy Birthday, Kamala,’” adding, “I think I’ll get her some flowers.”
Trump did not directly answer the question of whether he might support increased minimum wages after seeing McDonald’s employees in action, but he said, “These people work hard. They’re great.”