McDonald's Donald Trump worked at failed last health inspection (2024)

The McDonald's restaurant where Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump briefly worked on Sunday failed its latest health inspection, documents show.

The former president manned the fry station and served takeout to people in the drive-thru lane in Feasterville-Trevose in Bucks County, a key swing voter area in battleground Pennsylvania. The restaurant was closed to the public for Trump's visit.

Trump, a big fan of McDonald's food and a self-professed germophobe, was seen in footage shared by his campaign on social media putting on an apron, frying a basket of fries, scooping fries and serving customers through a drive-thru window.

A report from the Bucks County Department of Health after an inspection on March 27 cited health code violations at the restaurant, including employees not having "hands clean and properly washed."

It also said that employees were observed not washing their hands before putting on gloves and after engaging in activities that could contaminate their hands.

"Food employees are not washing their hands as required before putting on gloves, after handling soiled tableware, after handling raw meat, before handling clean tableware, equipment, utensils," the county inspector wrote. "Observed employees handling raw beef with gloves and then switching gloves without hand washing step in between."

Clips of the visit have not shown Trump washing his hands or wearing gloves or a hairnet. At one point Trump said his hands were "nice and clean." News reporters were present during the visit, the AP news agency said.

Liberal news site MeidasTouch, which heavily features anti-Trump coverage and did not have reporters at the event, said of the visit that the former president "went straight to work without washing his hands."

Newsweek has contacted McDonald's and the Trump campaign for comment outside business hours on Monday. This article will be updated if a comment is received.

McDonald's hand-washing policy on its website states its "food handlers wash their hands with an antimicrobial soap at least every 30 minutes. Staff who serve or work in the dining area wash their hands at least every hour."

McDonald's Donald Trump worked at failed last health inspection (1)

Health inspectors also noted that during its March 27 inspection food workers at the restaurant were "not wearing hair restraints as required, which includes management that assists in packaging and preparing food."

"Employees shall wear hair restraints such as hats, hair coverings or nets, they are effectively designed and worn to keep their hair from contacting exposed food; clean equipment, utensils and linen; and unwrapped single-service and single-use articles," the report said.

In addition the restaurant was cited as not storing some food at the correct temperature. The report also noted that there was "heavy ice and frost buildup" in a walk-in freezer that needed to be repaired and maintained.

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Trump's McDonald's visit comes after Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, said she worked at the fast food giant while at college in California. Trump and his campaign has repeatedly questioned the veracity of that claim.

Harris' campaign has said she worked at a McDonald's restaurant in Central Avenue in Alameda, in summer 1983 when she would have been a Howard University sophomore.

Asked repeatedly by Newsweek for evidence, Harris' campaign has not responded.

In a statement after Trump's visit, McDonald's said it does not "have records for all positions dating back to the early '80s."

Trump's visit to the McDonald's location was widely discussed on social media, attracting many positive and negative reactions.

Supporters of the former president praised him as "hard-working."

Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist, said Trump speaking with an immigrant who thanked him through the drive-thru window was an "absolutely incredible moment" that "about sums up exactly what we're fighting for."

However, critics called the event "staged" because the restaurant was closed and called Trump out for not wearing gloves or any hair restraints.

"My problem with the McDonald's / Trump staging … They closed the store. Folks lost wages for a guy that does not believe in paying overtime to hourly wages. He wasn't wearing gloves handling food. This is dumb," Tonya McKenzie, a public relations expert, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

McDonald's Statement on Donald Trump's Stunt

McDonald's senior leadership said in an internal memo to employees, shared on social media, that the company "does not endorse candidates for elected office."

"As we've seen, our brand has been a fixture of conversation this election cycle. While we've not sought this, it's a testament to how much McDonald's resonates with so many Americans," the memo said.

"McDonald's does not endorse candidates for elected office and that remains true in this race for the next President. We are not red or blue – we are golden."

The memo said the company was "proud to hear former President Trump's love for McDonald's and Vice President Harris's fond memories working under the Arches."

The statement added that the company does not "have records for all positions dating back to the early '80s." Harris has said she briefly worked at McDonald's during the summer of 1983 when she was a student at Howard University.

The memo said that when Derek Giacomantonio, the franchise's owner and operator, was "approached by local law enforcement about Trump's desire to visit a Pennsylvania restaurant," he "was proud to highlight how he and his team serve their local community and make delicious food."

It added: "Upon learning of the former President's request, we approached it through the lens of one of our core values: we open our doors to everyone.

"It's with that same approach that franchises have invited Vice President Harris and Governor all to their restaurants, in order to share how McDonald's provides meaningful pathways to economic opportunity and feeds and fosters local communities."

Giacomantonio, the owner of the McDonald's franchise, said in a statement: "It is a fundamental value of my organization that we proudly open our doors to everyone who visits the Feasterville community."

Was Donald Trump Working at McDonald's Staged?

Some on social media have suggested Trump's visit to McDonald's was "staged."

According to a post on Reddit, a signed letter placed on the storefront by Giacomantonio, the unit's manager, that said: "We plan to be closed on Sunday, October 20 until 4 p.m., to accommodate a visit at the request of former President Trump and his campaign."

It added: "I apologize for the inconvenience of closing our restaurant and sincerely look forward to serving you very soon." Newsweek cannot verify the authenticity of the letter.

The Washington Post reported that the restaurant was closed to the public during Trump's visit, and the customers whom Trump served were screened by the Secret Service and positioned before his arrival.

Did Kamala Harris Work at McDonald's?

Harris has said she worked at a McDonald's in the summer of 1983 when she would have been a rising sophomore at Howard University. Her campaign has said she worked at the McDonald's on Central Avenue in Alameda, California.

The vice president first mentioned the summer job while running for president five years ago. "I worked at McDonald's. I did the french fries and I did the ice cream...If we want to talk about these Golden Arches being a symbol for the best of America, well, the arches are falling short," she said to striking McDonald's workers on a Las Vegas picket line in 2019.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that Harris is lying, without offering any evidence. Harris' team has not provided any evidence that she did work at McDonald's.

"I've now worked [at McDonald's] for 15 minutes more than Kamala," Trump said from the drive-thru window on Sunday.

"Madam Vice President, did you work at a McDonalds?" Harris was asked on Monday. She said: "Did I? I did."

Her campaign has not responded to Newsweek's request for more details. McDonald's corporate office has also not responded to repeated requests for more information, though the company said in its internal memo that it doesn't have records "for all positions dating back to the early '80s."

Update 10/22/24, 7:59 a.m. ET: This article has been updated throughout with additional information and context.

McDonald's Donald Trump worked at failed last health inspection (2024)
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