Former President Channels Campaign Slogan with Ice Cream Fix Promise
In a blend of his campaign slogan and fast-food enthusiasm, former President Donald Trump promised a crowd on Truth Social that he’d make McDonald’s ice cream machines “work great again.” This playful comment referenced the widespread meme about the fast-food giant’s often-broken ice cream equipment.
On Saturday night, Trump posted on his social platform, Truth Social, declaring, “WHEN I’M PRESIDENT THE MCDONALD’S ICE CREAM MACHINES WILL WORK GREAT AGAIN!” The post featured an image of a smiling President Joe Biden wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, and holding an oversized ice cream cone, which quickly gained traction online, racking up over 150,000 likes on X (formerly Twitter) within the hour.
Reactions to Trump’s post were mixed. One user enthusiastically replied, “Bro you already had my vote but now I’m gonna take a few people with me to vote just because of this post.” Others took a more skeptical tone, with one user quipping, “Kamala is literally gonna start shaking in fear if she reads this.”
Trump’s Pennsylvania rally and ‘Google’s congratulations’
During a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump reiterated the success of his McDonald’s stunt, claiming that he’d received a call from Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, who allegedly praised him for the event’s overwhelming reach. “I actually got a call from Sundar… the head of Google, and he said, ‘sir, I just want to tell you what you did with McDonald’s was one of the single biggest events we’ve ever had at Google,’” Trump told the crowd, though this claim has not been verified.
The former president’s comments about the event drew further attention when he claimed that 29,000 supporters surrounded the McDonald’s as he served food, reportedly saying, “We weren’t sure if we were able to get out.” Social media users quickly questioned the crowd numbers, noting that Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, where the McDonald’s is located, has a population of only 24,657.
A nod to Kamala Harris’s McDonald’s background
Trump’s latest fast-food-themed campaign stop also served as a jab at Vice President Kamala Harris, who has previously spoken about her own experience working at McDonald’s during college. Harris has mentioned working at a McDonald’s in Alameda, California, in 1983, a point Trump has frequently referenced, questioning the truth of her account without evidence.
Despite his critique, McDonald’s itself responded with a message to employees, recognizing the shared American experience of working under the Golden Arches: “Though we are not a political brand, we’ve been proud to hear former President Trump’s love for McDonald’s and Vice President Harris’s fond memories working under the Arches.”
Event’s timing amid food safety concerns
Trump’s visit, intended to emphasize his connection to everyday Americans, came just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an October 22 food safety alert regarding an E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers. The CDC reported one death and 49 illnesses across 10 states related to the outbreak.
While Trump’s McDonald’s stop has energized his campaign, the former president’s love for the brand is well-documented. Recently, his son, Donald Trump Jr., boasted that his father could outdo Vice President Harris in knowledge of the McDonald’s menu. Nonetheless, the timing of the recent food safety scare may prove to be an unfortunate twist in his bid to showcase his support for the fast-food favorite.