Mr. Trump was criticized for not frying fries properly at McDonald's
Former President Donald Trump faced criticism for not wearing a cap or gloves while frying French fries at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania, breaking standard procedures.
Last weekend, Trump made a stop at a McDonald's in Feasterville, Bucks County, a key battleground in Pennsylvania. He took off his jacket, put on an apron, and fried French fries under the guidance of the staff.
After sprinkling salt, Trump used his bare hands to divide the fries into bags, handing them out to drive-thru customers, who were excited to see the former president. The event also garnered significant attention on social media.
However, many people, particularly McDonald's employees and former employees, complained that Trump did not follow proper work attire rules while handling food in the frying and serving areas.
"Where's the standard uniform required by McDonald's? Where's his hairnet?" asked Reddit user DodgyRogue on a McDonald's employee forum.
"Photos show that he’s also not wearing non-slip shoes, gloves, or a hat as required," noted user Adinnieken.
Mr. Trump experienced working at McDonald's restaurant in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, October 20
Some pointed out that the McDonald's in Feasterville, where Trump was frying fries, had previously been flagged for health code violations earlier in the year, including employees "not properly washing their hands."
"We noted instances where employees skipped washing their hands when changing gloves after handling raw beef, equipment, and utensils," a Bucks County food safety inspector wrote in their report at the time. "Employees also failed to wear required hairnets."
The Bucks County food safety agency and representatives of the McDonald's in Feasterville did not comment.
After Trump's visit and fry-cooking attempt, McDonald's issued a statement saying they did not invite the former president, nor do they endorse any political candidate.
"McDonald's is neither blue nor red. We're yellow," the statement read, signed by the entire leadership team of McDonald's USA.
Recently, Trump and his allies have ramped up attacks on Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, accusing her of lying about having worked at McDonald's during college to appeal to working-class voters. Trump's team claimed Harris never worked at McDonald's as the job was not listed on her resume.
"I’ll never forget this experience. It’s a skilled job," Trump joked while frying fries at the Feasterville McDonald's, quipping that he had spent 15 minutes working at McDonald's — more time than Harris ever did.
Joseph Costello, spokesperson for the Harris campaign, mocked Trump’s visit to McDonald's, accusing him of "exploiting workers for his own benefit."
"Trump has no idea what it's like to work for a living. No matter how many photo ops he stages, his entire second-term plan is to cut taxes for himself, his wealthy friends, and big corporations," Costello said.
Recent polls indicate that the race between the Democratic and Republican candidates next month is unpredictable, as both candidates have nearly equal support.