Former President Donald Trump swapped his suit coat for an apron Sunday during a visit to a McDonald’s in suburban Philadelphia, where the restaurant shut its doors to the public to host a photo-op for the Republican nominee.  During the stunt, Trump looked every bit the blue-collar candidate, manning the fry station, packing food, and serving customers at his favorite fast-food chain, with a skeleton crew showing him the ropes.  However, many viewed the appearance in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, as a blatant effort to upstage Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who actually worked at McDonald’s during her summer break from college and often shares the experience on the campaign trail to highlight her connection with the middle class. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after handing out food while standing at a drive-thru window during a campaign stop at a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, PA on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Given Trump’s previous indifference to raising the minimum wage, many perceived his visit as an attempt not only to discredit Harris but also to enhance his appeal among the working-class voters, which he needed to win a second term. Behind the scenes, sources suggest Trump has become increasingly obsessed with the narrative, seeing McDonald’s as a potential advantage for Harris while continuing to spread false claims that the vice president never worked for the fast-food chain. From the drive-through window on Sunday, Trump repeated the unfounded accusation against Harris, continuing a pattern of making false claims against his political rivals. While Harris and McDonald’s have not provided evidence of her employment at the fast-food chain, the absence of records from a brief summer job four decades ago is reasonable but has been taken by pro-Trump media as proof that she lied. In recent weeks on social media, Trump supporters have absurdly pointed out that Harris didn’t include a listing for the McDonald’s summer job on her résumé, even though it’s common practice to omit entry-level jobs that fall outside a chosen career. The Harris camp suggested that Trump was desperate to connect with everyday people, even though his privileged upbringing shielded him from ever having to work a real job. “When Trump feels desperate, all he knows how to do is lie,” said Ian Sams, a Harris campaign spokesperson, according to the Washington Post. “He can’t understand what it’s like to have a summer job because he was handed millions on a silver platter, only to blow it.” The moment recalls Trump’s history of targeting his political opponents, including his role in the “birther” conspiracy in which Trump questioned then-President Barack Obama’s birthplace and eligibility to serve as president. Nearly two decades later, Trump has returned to the same conspiratorial playbook, now aiming to damage Harris two weeks before the election. “Now I’ve worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala,” Trump said while finishing up at the fryer. When a reporter asked why Harris would lie about working at McDonald’s, Trump replied: “Because she’s Lyin’ Kamala.” Trump, who hails from generational wealth as the son of a New York real estate mogul, claimed Sunday that he has had a longstanding aspiration to work at McDonald’s. Observers said he seemed genuinely interested as an employee demonstrated the technique for using the fryer and shared banter with the staff during the visit. But social media users didn’t buy into the masquerade, with numerous voices clowning Trump for his latest antics. “@McDonalds has replaced Ronald McDonald with a new clown,” wrote X user @MissJilianne on X, accompanied by a video clip of Trump speaking to reporters from the drive-thru window. “It’s guaranteed he’ll screw up your order like everything else he touches.” Others condemned Trump for trivializing the struggles of low-income workers just so he can claim, like Harris, that he has experience working at a McDonald’s. “This is so insulting to the millions of people that have worked fast food at some point in their life, let alone the ones trying to raise a family while working fast food,” wrote @KubeJ9. Trump’s affinity for eating at McDonald’s goes back years; he even starred in a commercial for the fast-food giant. During a 2016 CNN town hall, he revealed to Anderson Cooper that his go-to order was the “fish delight” while also expressing his love for Big Macs and Quarter Pounders with cheese.  In January 2019, while in the White House, he showcased his passion for fast food by treating the Clemson University football team to a spread that included meals from McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Domino’s. However, Sunday marked the first time Trump went behind the counter, driven by the need to narrow the gap with Harris, who holds a slight lead in the polls just two weeks before Election Day. In one of Harris’ latest ads, the narrator draws a sharp contrast between Harris and the former president, saying, “She grew up in a middle-class home. She was the daughter of a working mom. And she worked at McDonald’s while she got her degree.” Earlier this year, Harris also discussed her time at McDonald’s during an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show.” And in 2019, she mentioned her college summer job when she joined McDonald’s employees in Las Vegas who were rallying for increased pay. According to her campaign, Harris worked at McDonald’s on Central Avenue in Alameda, California, during the summer of 1983. This was while she was home from being a student at Howard University. Her genuine duties included operating the cash register as well as the fry and ice cream machines, her campaign stated previously. By contrast, Trump’s visit to the restaurant over the weekend was painstakingly orchestrated—the establishment was closed, and the motorists he served had been pre-screened by the U.S. Secret Service and positioned in line before his arrival. Also, no one placed a real food order; instead, they received whatever Trump handed them. According to reports, Trump spent roughly five minutes at the fry station and about 15 minutes at the drive-thru window, where he fielded questions from reporters. “This is not a normal situation, is it?” Trump remarked as he waved through the drive-thru window at the crowd of supporters gathered outside. Trump praised the staff, then leaned out of the drive-thru window to wave at a crowd gathered across the street. He handed out paper bags to cars that had been waiting in line to catch a glimpse of him. As one driver pulled away, he shouted, “Trump 2024!” Trump sidestepped a direct question about raising the federal minimum wage, which has stayed at $7.25 per hour since 2009.  “Well, I think this. These people work hard,” Trump said. “They’re great. And I just saw something — a process that’s beautiful,” he added after the employee showed him how to drop a batch of french fries into hot oil. During his presidency, Trump occasionally hinted at support for increasing wages for low-income workers but never made it a central focus. Instead, his administration deferred the issue to the states, with no significant federal push to raise wages. In Pennsylvania, where the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, fast-food employees earn an average of $13.20 per hour, based on 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. McDonald’s workers earn an average of $13 to $15 per hour nationwide, according to Indeed and ZipRecruiter.  For years, McDonald’s workers and their advocates have pushed for better wages and a higher federal minimum wage, rallying support through groups like Fight for $15. Derek Giacomantonio, the franchisee in Feasterville who opened his doors to Trump on Sunday, faced pressure in 2019 and 2020 from activists calling for higher wages at one of his Philadelphia McDonald’s locations. As the owner of eight franchises in the Philadelphia region, Giacomantonio not only resisted these calls but also lobbied against a state proposal designed to make more workers eligible for overtime pay. 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. pic.twitter.com/FLEqnrZ7Tw— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 20, 2024 Ahead of Trump’s visit, Giacomantonio taped a notice to the glass front door of the restaurant, stating: “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.” On social media, Trump critic Ron Filipkowski posted a photo of the typewritten message, using it as evidence to suggest that the event was staged. “So the place wasn’t even open. It was all staged and fake,” he said. “He didn’t work for real at a McDonalds. It was a staged fraud just like every other event.” Conservative political commentator Tomi Lahren replied to Filipkowski’s post defending Trump, pointing out that the candidate was just making an appearance on his campaign trail. “Not sure if you were under the impression Trump was going to end his campaign for president to work at McDonald’s as his next career move, but normal people understand this was a campaign stop and don’t have their panties in a bunch. Get some air, fella,” Lahren wrote. Asked whether he would accept the results of the 2024 election, Trump was noncommittal, stating, “Sure, if it’s a fair election.”  ‘This Is So Insulting’: Donald Trump’s McDonald’s Stunt Fails to Fry Kamala Harris; Critics Slam ‘Fake’ Shift as Desperate Campaign Ploy