Donald Trump’s campaign stop at a McDonald’s restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania on Sunday, October 20, 2024, has drawn criticism from food service workers and health safety advocates after he was seen handling food without proper safety equipment at a location previously cited for health violations.
The McDonald’s franchise, which Trump visited as part of his presidential campaign, had failed its most recent health inspection by the Bucks County Department of Health. The restaurant was cited for employees not washing their hands properly and failing to wear required hair restraints during food preparation.
During his visit, Trump worked behind the counter making French fries. “I don’t want your French fries!” said Whoopi Goldberg on “The View,” commenting on Trump’s lack of hair protection.
Many McDonald’s employees quickly expressed disdain for Trump’s lackluster performance during his brief stint behind the counter. From the start, workers took issue with his failure to comply with basic health standards—appearing without a hairnet, gloves, or even the required uniform shirt and non-slip shoes.
These glaring oversights, captured on social media, highlighted his unfamiliarity with food safety protocols. Employees mocked the former president’s attempt, pointing out that passing out food for a mere five minutes hardly equates to the grueling work of an entire shift, day after day, over years.
Other criticisms focused on his apparent inability to handle basic tasks. One worker noted that Trump couldn’t even scoop fries correctly, placing the boxes backward as he fumbled through the motions.
Meanwhile, a manager from Brooklyn, New York, found his seasoning technique both bizarre and hazardous—adding excessive salt before tossing a handful over his shoulder in a supposed attempt to ward off bad luck. “You don’t throw salt like that,” she remarked, pointing out the potential danger to anyone nearby.
To many fast-food workers, Trump’s appearance felt less like a genuine outreach effort and more like a hollow, staged act that insulted those who truly know the demands of the job.
The visit also sparked political controversy when Trump used the opportunity to question Vice President Kamala Harris’s previous claims of working at McDonald’s during her college years. “I’ve now worked 15 minutes more at McDonald’s than she ever did,” Trump claimed.
McDonald’s corporate office has stated they do not maintain employment records dating back to the 1980s, making it impossible to verify Harris’ employment history. Meanwhile, Harris has previously supported McDonald’s workers, joining their protests in Las Vegas in 2019 for higher wages and improved working conditions.
Despite the controversy, Trump appeared unbothered by the criticism and later showed off a “French Fries Certification Pin” awarded to him by Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), who owns McDonald’s franchises, during a subsequent campaign visit to North Carolina.
