Donald Trump passed through the golden arches and got behind the fryer at a McDonald’s in the Philadelphia suburbs – in a move designed to troll Kamala Harris.
‘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 put on a black and yellow apron and learn the process of making French fries at the Bucks County, Pennsylvania restaurant.
Trump also took a turn at the drive-thru counter – catering to a handful of prearranged ‘customers’ who were supporters. Trump said the meals were taken care of, which speeded processing.
‘I’m having a lot of fun here, everybody,’ he declared.
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.
He dodged most policy questions, including whether he backs an increase in the minimum wage. Asked what he’s getting paid, he quipped, ‘Not enough – I want more money.’
‘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.
‘It’s a good job, isn’t it? Not bad. You have a nice owner?’ Trump asked. ‘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 by a reporter why Harris would lie about working at the restaurant, Trump replied, ‘Because she’s “lying Kamala,”‘ applying a moniker.
When a reporter asked if he would accept the election results regardless of the outcome, Trump dodged. ‘Let’s not talk about that,’ he said.
During his extended turn at the drive-thru window, Trump found himself in customer service mode, answering repeated questions from reporters.
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.
He may have been referencing Israel’s stepped up attacks on Hezbollah inside Lebanon.
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.’
Prior to the ex-president’s arrival, 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 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 effor to peel away Blue Wall states by prying away working class voters from the suburbs and exurbs.
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.
Trump 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.’
Harris has said did fries and worked the cash register 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, although Trump has not provided any eveidence that she lied about it.
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 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.
Trump has been building up the 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.