McDonald’s denies it’s endorsing Donald Trump

McDonald’s Corporation said it wasn’t endorsing a candidate in the US presidential race when it agreed to host former president Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania store at the weekend.

Former president Donald Trump hands out MAGA hats and greets patrons during an off-the-record stop at a McDonald's restaurant in East Palestine, Ohio. Picture: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

McDonald’s Corporation agreed to host former president Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania store at the weekend but said it wasn’t endorsing a candidate in the US presidential race.

Mr Trump “staffed” the fry station at a McDonald’s in suburban Philadelphia on Sunday before answering questions through the drive-through window. The restaurant was closed to the public for the Republican nominee’s visit.

In a message to employees obtained on Monday by The Associated Press, McDonald’s said the owner-operator of the location, Derek Giacomantonio, reached out after he learned of Mr Trump’s desire to visit a Pennsylvania restaurant. McDonald’s agreed to the event.

“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,” the company 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 Chicago burger giant said franchisees have also invited Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, to their restaurants.

McDonald’s said it had “been a fixture of conversation this election cycle” even though it hadn’t sought that attention. At several campaign stops and during interviews, Ms Harris has recalled working at McDonald’s for spending money during her college years. Mr Trump has claimed – without evidence – that she is lying.

McDonald’s sidestepped that issue in its employee message. The company said it is proud of “Harris’s fond memories working under the arches” and noted the often-cited figure that one in eight Americans works at McDonald’s at some point.

“While we and our franchisees don’t have records for all positions dating back to the early ’80s, what makes ‘1 in 8’ so powerful is the shared experience so many Americans have had,” McDonald’s said.

Mr Trump’s appearance led to some backlash on social media. Google searches for “boycott McDonald’s” briefly surged on Monday morning, and some Twitter users vowed not to return to the chain after Mr Trump’s event.

Chris Hydock, a marketing professor at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, said authorising the visit was a risky move for McDonald’s.

Mr Hydock said his research showed when brands become associated with divisive candidates or positions, whether purposefully or not, customers who disliked those positions tended to react more strongly than those who didn’t dislike them.

Small companies can still benefit sometimes, Mr Hydock said, since even a divisive position wins attention and customers. In the case of a big company like McDonald’s, everyone is already aware of the company.

“Trump working at McDonald’s can’t attract more customers,” he said.

“All it can end up doing is pissing some people off.”

Lori Rosen, president of the public relations firm Rosen Group, said McDonald’s would probably not see long-term damage from the event.

AP