The Truth Behind Donald Trump's Shift At McDonald's

McDonald's might have retired its clown mascot in 2016 amid some swirling controversy, but Ronald McDonald just returned in another form to one of the franchise's Pennsylvania locations. Donald Trump made a quick pit stop at the Bucks County McDonald's to serve drive-thru customers on October 20, 2024, in what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to win over voters in the key swing state ahead of the November elections. Trying his best to seem like a man of the people, Trump was photographed waving through the drive-thru window as he served the waiting line. To those with no prior knowledge of the event, it initially appeared as if the former president had made an impromptu stop at the franchise to brighten (or should that be darken?) some ordinary Americans' Sunday, but upon further inspection, the entire operation was clearly staged.

Editor-in-Chief at Meidas News, Ron Filipkowski, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post a snap of an announcement pinned to the door of the McDonald's in question, which informed customers of the restaurant's temporary closure on October 20 for a visit from Trump. "So the place wasn't even open. It was all staged and fake. He didn't work for real at a McDonalds. It was a staged fraud just like every other event," Filipkowski captioned the image. Cars were also seen practicing moving through the drive-thru ahead of Trump's arrival (why this simple act needed to be rehearsed remains a mystery). In the aftermath of Trump's attempted assassination in July, it should come as no surprise that the drive-thru guests were pre-selected and screened by the Secret Service. But his staged shift at the restaurant wasn't the only thing that raised eyebrows.

If you like your McDonald's hair-free, bacteria-free, and overall safe for consumption, you might want to steer clear of the Bucks County location. The restaurant failed its last health inspection after it was discovered that employees weren't wearing hairnets and failed to wash their hands regularly, especially after touching raw meat and trash. Donald Trump has previously got himself into legal trouble for breaking the rules, so it's not exactly shocking that the divisive politician wasn't sporting a hairnet during his 15-minute stint at the restaurant. Reports also indicate that Trump failed to wash his hands prior to starting his shift. Instead, when asked to do so, the former president reasoned that his hands were already clean (no surprises there). He also notably failed to wear gloves while working. However, certain Trump supporters may have been delighted to encounter some of their favorite's hair in their fries.

Some X users also called out Trump's lack of protective gear, while others made fun of his quick shift. "He finally found a job he might be able to handle... Nah," one observer wrote. "Glad to see he'll have a job to go to when he loses the election," another quipped. "You know they didn't have him touching any of the cash at all," someone else joked, likely referring to Trump's infamous New York fraud trial.

Many speculated that he opted to orchestrate the shift just to stick it to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has previously spoken publicly about her time working at McDonald's while attending college. The former "Apprentice" host confirmed these suspicions when, at the end of his shift, he said, "Now I have worked at McDonald's. I've now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala," (via CBS News). Fact check?