On the 20th (local time), former President Donald Trump visited a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, where he tried his hand as a part-time worker, making French fries and taking orders at the drive-thru. This visit is part of his campaign to present a more populist image in response to the Democratic camp’s criticism of him as a “silver spoon” candidate. Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ past claims of working at McDonald’s, stating it’s false and jokingly offered to buy her a hamburger for her 60th birthday.
According to American media outlets like NBC, Trump visited Feasterville Trevose in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a battleground state for the presidential election. During his McDonald’s visit, Trump remarked, “I’m looking for a job,” adding that he always wanted to work at McDonald’s, but never could. He claimed that he is now competing with Harris, who says she worked at McDonald’s, which he argues is completely untrue.
Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, was born in California and began her political career as a district attorney. She studied economics and political science at Howard University in Washington D.C. Harris’ campaign stated that she worked at a McDonald’s in Alameda, California, in 1983 as a college student. Reflecting on her past in a talk show, Harris mentioned that she started with frying potatoes and later took orders, even participating in a strike by McDonald’s employees.
Harris’ campaign utilized her McDonald’s work experience to contrast her working-class background with Trump’s billionaire status from birth. Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and Harris’ running mate, previously questioned Trump’s ability to handle a McDonald’s ice cream machine, arguing that Trump was incapable of such work. Trump countered by asserting that Harris’ claim of working at McDonald’s is false.
During a brief question from reporters, Trump was asked if he had anything to say to Harris on her birthday. Trump humorously responded, “Is it Kamala’s birthday?”, before wishing her a happy birthday and joking that he could buy her flowers, fries, or a McDonald’s hamburger. Harris did not respond to Trump’s comments as she attended a church service in Stonecrest, Georgia, to mark her birthday.