This past Sunday, Donald Trump made a campaign stop at a McDonald’s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, where he donned an apron, had a drive-thru photo opp and slung fries behind the counter. The brief stunt — which took place in a closed restaurant with drive-thru customers pre-screened by his campaign for security — came as the former president has grown increasingly fixated on vice president Kamala Harris’ own background in fast food.
“I’m looking for a job,” Trump said to the owner of the Pennsylvania McDonald’s locations. “And I’ve always wanted to work at McDonald’s, but I never did. I’m running against somebody that said she did, but it turned out to be a totally phony story.”
In August, the Harris campaign launched an ad highlighting her upbringing and experience. It featured her time working at McDonald’s while earning her degree at Howard University, positioning Harris as someone who understands the challenges faced by everyday Americans. Harris has also referenced this work in previous campaigns, as well. Despite this, Trump and his allies have repeatedly and baselessly asserted that Harris is lying about working at McDonald’s because it was not listed on her resume.
@salonofficial Uncovering the biggest mystery this election: Did Kamala Harris work at McDonald's?
“I’ve now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala,” Trump remarked on Sunday.
While the scene might seem like typical campaign theater, it highlights a larger irony in Trump’s relationship with fast food — and more specifically, with the minimum-wage workers who typically make it. For years, Trump has cultivated a populist image, frequently extolling his love of McDonald’s, Burger King and other chains. During his presidency, photos of Trump serving a smorgasbord of Filet-O-Fishes and Quarter Pounders to the Clemson University football players during their 2019 visit to the White House made headlines. “I would think that’s their favorite food, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said of the meal.
In his world, fast food is a conduit to and a symbol of connection with the “everyday American.”
However, while Trump is known for his love of fast food, this latest stunt highlights a stark irony: the same man who celebrates McDonald’s burgers seems to belittle the workers who serve them, as evidenced by both his past policies and current attitudes. And Trump’s latest attempt to turn Harris’s work history into a punchline simply underscores his broader pattern of thoughtlessly dismissing the value of minimum-wage jobs.
For instance, while standing in the McDonald’s drive-thru, Trump was asked multiple times if he supported raising the federal minimum wage. During his first presidential campaign, Trump seemingly toyed with the idea of supporting a $10 minimum wage instead of the current rate of $7.25 per hour, but ultimately said he’d “rather leave it to the states — let the states decide.”
In his response on Sunday, he similarly deflected, instead describing the experience of working at that McDonald’s as “beautiful.”
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“Well, I think this,” he responded when asked by reporters about raising the minimum wage. “I think these people work hard. They’re great, and I just saw something in the process that’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful thing to see. These are great franchises and produce a lot of jobs and great people working here, too.
Joseph Costello, a Harris spokesperson, highlighted the hollow exchange in a clip posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Trump is nothing more than a sock [puppet] for billionaires when it comes to the policies that matter for working people’s bank accounts,” he posted.
In contrast, Harris has vocally advocated for raising the federal minimum wage. This comes despite the controversy in 2021 when she chose not to overrule Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough's decision to remove a $15 minimum wage provision from the COVID-19 relief bill, effectively preventing the wage increase from advancing.
She made headlines in 2019 for joining striking McDonald’s workers in Des Moines, Iowa. “These golden arches are not representing opportunity,” Harris said, standing among a sea of red-shirted workers in a McDonald’s parking lot. “We are not paying people a minimum wage that allows a minimum standard of living. Let’s bust the myth and make it clear families are relying on these salaries, and they must be paid $15 an hour.”
However, as economists like Dawn Allcott for NASDAQ have pointed out, if Harris were to become president, her ability to adjust the minimum wage would be limited, as it is set by Congress through legislation.
"Donald Trump, a 78-year-old who’s never earned a real paycheck in his life, put on a show, playing dress-up to act like he’s one of us."
“But wage workers don’t just encompass those making minimum wage. More significantly, Harris has also shown support for unions, a fact that could help her garner support from service workers, trade workers, and educators,” Allcott wrote. “Her support of unions could help wage workers fight for everything from increased wages to better benefits.”
The union support Harris has already garnered was evident after Trump’s McDonald’s stop. “Donald Trump, a 78-year-old who’s never earned a real paycheck in his life, put on a show, playing dress-up to act like he’s one of us,” Shawn Fain, head of the United Auto Workers (UAW), said at a Harris campaign event Sunday, as reported by The Hill.
Again, the disconnect between Trump and working people isn’t new.
In 2020, reports of two White House housekeeping staff testing positive for COVID-19 following Trump’s diagnosis raised troubling questions about the treatment of low-wage workers during a health crisis. According to The New York Times, these employees were advised to exercise “discretion” regarding their positive tests, reflecting a broader pattern of neglect toward essential workers who, despite their critical roles, often lacked access to the same level of care and support as their high-profile employers. As Kate Andersen Brower, author of “The Residence,” noted, the White House housed approximately 90 support staff — individuals like butlers and engineers — whose contributions were frequently overlooked.
In a climate where essential workers were initially celebrated as heroes, many ultimately found themselves taken for granted, expected to silently endure risks and pressures, with little acknowledgment of their sacrifices.
Ultimately, Trump’s McDonald’s stunt serves as a reminder of the contradictions at the heart of his populist appeal. He may love fast food, but his rhetoric and policies often undermine the people who make it. For millions of Americans working in low-wage industries, the message is clear: while Trump might share their love of a burger and fries, he doesn’t seem to share their struggles.
As the 2024 election looms, Trump’s ability to maintain his working-class support may depend on whether voters see through the fast-food photo ops to the deeper disconnect underneath.
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