Donald Trump claims he did a shift at McDonalds – people are saying it was staged
As the election draws to a close, the candidates are ramping up their campaigning efforts. (Getty)
Former President Donald Trump clocked in for a “shift” to cook fries and work the drive-thru at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania – but some people think the customers he served were fake.
The move was designed to take aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, who previously said she worked at a McDonald’s when she was younger but has faced scepticism from Republicans who don’t believe her claim.
While at the drive-thru, Trump said: “I’m running against somebody that said she [worked at McDonalds] but it turned out to be a phony story. I’ve now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala at McDonald’s.
“I’ve really wanted to do this all my life. And now I’m going to do it because she didn’t do it.”
During the visit, Trump had an apron tied behind his back by a McDonald’s cashier before receiving a short demonstration of how to work the fry station and take orders at the drive-thru window.
A TikTok posted by Trump of his experience at McDonalds has amassed over 23 million views, showing him handing out orders through the window and speaking to “voters” who were picking up their meals.
He also took a question from a reporter at the drive-thru, repeating baseless suggestions that the 2024 presidential election results would not be fair due to widespread electoral fraud.
Despite the popularity of Trump’s day out, he may not have actually ‘worked’ at McDonalds like he suggested. A post circulating on X has dismissed it as a staged stunt with “fake customers at a store that wasn’t even open.”
The post showed a flyer, apparently written by the owner of the McDonald’s franchise Trump attended, stating that the location would be closed to the public on Sunday October 20 to accommodate a visit from Trump and his team.
It read: “While we are not a political organisation, we proudly open our doors to everyone and as a locally owned-and-operated location, this visit provides a unique opportunity to shine a light on the positive impact of small businesses here in Feasterville.”
The entire McDonalds stunt with Donald Trump was staged with fake customers at a store that wasn’t even open. pic.twitter.com/qAkjVklR9w
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) October 20, 2024
The flyer and accompanying post have not yet been verified, but many social media users believed it to be real.
One person said they would no longer be frequenting McDonald’s due to the “political and disgusting” stunt, adding: “I hope the corporate level understands that having a dirty old man in the store means it loses customers.”
Another said: “Working’… They closed the McDonald’s for the Trump clown show…. It was all staged just like everything they do.”
“McBullshit,” a third person joked.
A fourth person pointed out that due to Trump’s previous felony convictions – of which there are 34 – he would be prevented “from getting a job at McDonald’s”.
CNN’s Brian Stelter clarified on X that the visit was “carefully staged” for security reasons following two assassination attempts on Trump at recent rallies and that all the customers the Republican nominee served were “selected and screened by Secret Service”.
It is unclear whether Stelter himself was in attendance or where he gleaned this information.
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