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In a bid to strengthen his credibility among working class voters, Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the White House, spent Sunday working the fry station at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
The “impromptu” event, complete with a drive-thru press conference, was an attempt to demonstrate his connection to ordinary Americans, after his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, touted her own experience working at McDonalds during college.
Trump’s visit to the McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, a critical swing area in Bucks County, saw him wearing an apron over his shirt and tie.
Trump praises fast-food staff who 'work hard,' but dodges minimum wage query
The former President stood alongside employees as he was shown how to fry and salt potatoes before serving up bags of food to customers. “It requires great expertise, actually, to do it right and to do it fast,” he said as he manned the fryer, drawing a large crowd outside the restaurant.
As he leaned out of the drive-thru window to answer questions from the press, Trump sidestepped inquiries about whether the experience had changed his views on raising the minimum wage, but he did acknowledge the hard work of fast-food employees.
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“These people work hard. They’re great,” he remarked, adding that the process of frying and serving food was “beautiful."
Trump’s McDonald’s visit, while gaining column inches, did little to address more substantive issues facing the American workforce, such as wage increases or labor rights. His reluctance to discuss specifics, particularly around the minimum wage, stood in contrast to Harris’s campaign, which has consistently pushed for raising wages and expanding worker protections.
Trump vs Harris: McDonald's debacle underscores differences on worker rights
Trump’s campaign has increasingly focused on efforts to connect with working-class voters, a demographic both he and Harris are targeting as the 2024 presidential race heats up.
Harris said that her summer job at McDonald’s allows her to empathize with low-wage workers across the country. "I worked there as a student, and it taught me a lot about what it takes to make ends meet in America," Harris said during a recent interview, recounting the summer job as a way to connect with voters and highlight the struggles of working families.
Trump has publicly questioned the legitimacy of her claim without, it should be said, offering counter evidence. “She’s lying about working there,” he said.
Her campaign has criticized Trump for being out of touch with voters. Harris spokesman Ian Sams, suggested that Trump’s inability to relate to ordinary Americans was because, “He doesn’t know what it’s like to have a summer job because he’s never had to work for anything in his life. He was handed millions on a silver platter.”
Harris responded to Trump’s claims, saying: “Part of the difference between me and my opponent is understanding the challenges that working families face every day,” she said. Harris has used her own history as a way to contrast with Trump’s more privileged upbringing, underscoring the divide between the two candidates’ approaches to economic policy and worker rights, and the futures they are promising for American employees and employers.
Some political strategists questioned whether his stunt would resonate with voters focused on the economy and other critical issues.
One Republican strategist remarked that Trump’s fixation on Harris’s summer job seemed like a “puzzling detour” from more pressing matters. “When Donald Trump isn’t talking about the economy or illegal immigration, he’s off-topic,” he said.
