Was Donald Trump’s visit to McDonald’s staged?

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump grabbed headlines this weekend after he stepped behind the counter at a McDonald’s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania.

Wearing a black and yellow apron, Trump worked the fry station, quipping to the store manager that he’d “always wanted to work at McDonald’s”.  

Under the guidance of an employee, Trump, whose love for fast food has been well chronicled, fried, salted, and boxed fries while his team and reporters watched.  

However, what was projected as a casual campaign stop quickly sparked accusations of being a “staged” event, complete with “fake” customers and moments orchestrated for the cameras.

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Here’s what we know.

Trump’s day out at McDonald’s

On Sunday, Donald Trump visited a McDonald’s branch in Feasterville-Trevose in Bucks County in Pennsylvania.

Wearing shirt sleeves and an apron, Trump nodded as he was instructed on how to avoid grease burns and salt fries. “I’ve had many of those,” he joked as he slid fries into a red container.

He later popped his head out the drive-through window and waved at a crowd that had gathered across the street. He began to hand out paper bags to the cars that had been waiting in line before his arrival.

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“These people work hard. They’re great,” Trump said, reflecting on the employees he met at the fast food chain. He added, “It requires great expertise, actually, to do it right and to do it fast."

Trump makes fries, works drive-thru window at McDonald's | Watch ⬇️

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump went to a McDonald's in suburban Philadelphia on Sunday (October 20), and tried working french fries station and drive-thru window pic.twitter.com/yeQV9SASXX

— Forbes India (@ForbesIndia) October 21, 2024

While the McDonald’s visit was seen as part of Trump’s efforts to appeal to working-class voters, it was also meant to counter claims of his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, who previously said she worked at the fast food chain during her student days at Howard University.

“It was a big part of her resume that she worked at McDonald’s – how tough a job it was… She’s never worked at McDonald’s,” Trump said as he accused Harris of lying. However, his team has not provided evidence to the contrary.

“I’ve now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala… She never worked here,” the former president reiterated through the drive-thru window.

When asked about Trump’s motivation for visiting McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, his campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, told Forbes, “because the people of Pennsylvania matter and jobs matter, something Kamala Harris refuses to acknowledge."

Also read: Trump vs Harris: Why McDonalds is at the centre of US election drama  

A ‘fake’ visit?

Following former President Trump’s campaign stop, a controversy flared up online with people sharing images of a notice displayed at the McDonald’s outlet.

Signed by restaurant manager Derek Giacomantonio, the notice stated that the outlet would be closed to customers during Trump’s visit.

“We plan to be closed on Sunday, October 20, until 4 pm, to accommodate a visit at the request of former President Trump and his campaign,” it said.

The McDonald’s that Trump visited posted a notice saying they were closed for Trump’s staged visit... pic.twitter.com/4IZyniYWjT

— EssenViews (@essenviews) October 21, 2024

The notice continued, emphasising that, “While we are not a political organisation, we proudly open our doors to everyone. 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."

“I apologise for the inconvenience of closing our restaurant and sincerely look forward to serving you very soon,” the notice concluded.

As the notice circulated on social media, critics quickly branded the event as “fake” and “staged."

Observers pointed out that the visibly closed McDonald’s had no crowds, with only one car and a person—allegedly a Secret Service officer—seen in the vicinity, vetting for “fake customers”.

One user on X remarked, “Working…they closed the McDonald’s for the Trump clown show…it was all staged just like everything they do."

Another user sarcastically commented, “Don’t worry, guys, he totally gets the poor now after ‘working’ at a closed McDonald’s,” alluding to Trump’s connection with working-class voters.

A report by The Washington Post added fuel to the fire as it said that the customers Trump interacted with were pre-screened by the US Secret Service and pre-positioned. The report added that the attendees did not place an order and instead just accepted whatever he gave them.

Reports further indicated that his team repeatedly urged him to wrap up the visit as he was running late for the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the New York Jets later in the day.

Trump spent only about five minutes at the fry station and approximately 15 minutes at the drive-through window, most of which was taken up with questions from reporters.

A user commented, “Wait, Trump went from saying she (Harris) was lying about working there to fake-working there in a desperate attempt to one-up her?"

While some critics alleged that the campaign “staged” the event, MAGA supporters defended the store’s closure as a necessary security measure following multiple assassination attempts on Trump.

“Of course, it wasn’t a normal day. You think they are going to let a President who’s had more than one assassination attempt on his life just stand at a window with random cars driving through? They let a few people in after they were thoroughly vetted. But none of that was the point.”

With input from agencies