惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 Corp. agreed to at a Pennsylvania store over the weekend but said it isn鈥檛 endorsing a candidate in the U.S. presidential race.
Trump staffed the fry station at a in suburban Philadelphia on Sunday before answering questions through the drive-thru window. The restaurant was closed to the public for the Republican nominee's visit.
In a message to employees obtained Monday by The Associated Press, McDonald's said the owner-operator of the location, Derek Giacomantonio, reached out after he learned of Trump鈥檚 desire to visit a Pennsylvania restaurant. 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 agreed to the event.
鈥淯pon learning of the former president鈥檚 request, we approached it through the lens of one of our core values: we open our doors to everyone,鈥� the company said. 鈥湶殉Χ俅遣圆贡艋邂�檚 does not endorse candidates for elected office and that remains true in this race for the next president. We are not red or blue 鈥� we are golden."
The Chicago burger giant said franchisees have also invited Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, to their restaurants. The Associated Press left a message seeking comment with the Harris campaign.
惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 said it has 鈥渂een a fixture of conversation this election cycle鈥� even though it hasn鈥檛 sought that attention. At several campaign stops and during interviews, Harris has for spending money during her college years. Trump has claimed 鈥� without evidence 鈥� that Harris is lying.
惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 sidestepped that issue in its employee message. The company said it is proud of 鈥淗arris鈥檚 fond memories working under the arches鈥� and noted the often-cited figure that 1 in 8 Americans works at 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 at some point.
鈥淲hile we and our franchisees don鈥檛 have records for all positions dating back to the early 鈥�80s, what makes 鈥�1 in 8鈥� so powerful is the shared experience so many Americans have had,鈥� 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 said.
Trump鈥檚 appearance led to some backlash on social media. Google searches for 鈥渂oycott 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚鈥� briefly surged Monday morning, and some Twitter users vowed to the chain after Trump鈥檚 event.
Chris Hydock, a marketing professor at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business, said that authorizing the visit was a risky move for McDonald's. Hydock said his research shows that when brands become associated with divisive candidates or positions, whether purposefully or not, customers who dislike those positions tend to react more strongly than those who don't dislike them.
Small companies can still benefit sometimes, Hydock said, since even a divisive position wins them attention and customers. But in the case of a big company like McDonald's, everyone is already aware of the company.
鈥淭rump working at McDonald's can鈥檛 attract more customers,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll it can end up doing is pissing some people off.鈥�
But Lori Rosen, president of the public relations firm Rosen Group, said 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 won鈥檛 likely see long-term damage from the event.
鈥淭he coverage and publicity alone generated from 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 agreeing to have former President Trump work at one of their franchises already surpasses the negative chatter on social media ,鈥� Rosen said. 鈥淚 am not sure if the American people will benefit from this publicity stunt. However, 惭肠顿辞苍补濒诲鈥檚 comes out ahead.鈥�
Bruce Newman, a professor in business ethics and marketing at DePaul University鈥檚 Driehaus College of Business, agrees.
鈥淭hey look like the company that鈥檚 getting the attention of the presidential candidates, and it heightens the awareness of the brand,鈥� he said.
Newman added that Trump was likely trying to put a different, more casual face on his campaign, wearing a smile and an apron instead of a suit jacket.
Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press
