Former President’s Quip Plays on Meme Culture Amid McDonald’s-Themed Campaign Stunts

Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric took a light-hearted turn as he vowed to “make McDonald’s ice cream machines work great again” in a viral post on Truth Social. Playing off a well-known meme about the chain’s notoriously malfunctioning dessert machines, Trump’s pledge struck a chord with supporters and critics alike.

“WHEN I’M PRESIDENT THE MCDONALD’S ICE CREAM MACHINES WILL WORK GREAT AGAIN!” Trump declared alongside an image of President Joe Biden donning a MAGA hat and holding an ice cream cone. Within an hour, the post amassed over 150,000 likes on X (formerly Twitter), drawing a mixed reaction — from enthusiastic endorsements to snarky critiques aimed at Vice President Kamala Harris.

This playful promise follows a series of fast-food-themed campaign appearances. In Pennsylvania, Trump donned an apron and pretended to work the fry station at a McDonald’s, a move he’s since highlighted at rallies as part of his efforts to contrast with Harris. Trump claims, without evidence, that Harris misrepresented her experience working at a McDonald’s during college — a claim rooted in her 1983 summer job in Alameda.

In a statement to staff, McDonald’s acknowledged both political figures’ connections with the brand, noting the shared experiences that bind many Americans to the Golden Arches. Despite Trump’s positive spin, some observers challenged the scale of his “monster” McDonald’s event and his reported interactions with tech leaders like Sundar Pichai.

Trump’s fondness for McDonald’s has become a trademark of his public persona, though his campaign event’s timing was overshadowed by a CDC warning linking the chain’s Quarter Pounders to an E. coli outbreak across ten states.