The McDonald's restaurant in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, became an unexpected battleground in the 2024 U.S. presidential election after former President Donald Trump staged a campaign stunt at the fast-food outlet. The restaurant, where Trump briefly worked the fryer and served customers, has since been bombarded with negative and often sarcastic reviews on Yelp, forcing the platform to temporarily disable comments on the page.
On Sunday, October 20, Trump visited the McDonald's branch as part of a campaign stop, where he handed food to pre-screened customers and made jabs at Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump's team claimed the event was aimed at showcasing his connection to the working-class voters and countering Harris's assertion that she had worked at a McDonald's during her time at Howard University. Trump used the moment to take a personal dig at Harris, saying, "I've now worked 15 minutes more than Kamala."
The stunt, however, quickly backfired for the restaurant, with Yelp inundated by a wave of fake reviews from both critics and supporters of the former president. One user joked, "Senile old man got bronzer on my fries, didn't wear gloves," while another sarcastically commented, "The fries were too salty as if someone who lost a major election had been crying over them for an hour," referencing Trump's baseless claims about the 2020 election.
Amid the growing number of politically charged reviews, Yelp intervened by pausing the review function for the Feasterville McDonald's. A message on the site explained, "This business recently received increased public attention, which often means people come to this page to post their views on the news. While we don't take a stand one way or the other when it comes to this incident, we've temporarily disabled the posting of content to this page as we work to investigate whether the content you see here reflects actual consumer experiences."
The flood of reviews came from both sides of the political aisle. Some criticized the franchise for allowing the event to happen, with one person writing, "Went to this McDonald's to try the new chicken Big Mac and was stunned to see a convicted felon operating the drive-through. Your company hires felons? Also, closing the store for the day to perform this political theater is crazy to me."
On the other side, Trump supporters praised the visit, with one review stating, "The best McDonald's I've ever been to in 47 years. The older employee was extremely nice. Make McDonald's Great Again." Another echoed similar sentiments, saying, "Service is always top notch here. I'd like to highlight the new senior hire. He was so pleasant and genuinely looked happy to work there."
Yelp has since vowed to "clean up" the page, ensuring that only reviews from legitimate customers will remain once the surge in activity subsides. "For Yelp to remain a useful resource to the community, reviews must be based on a genuine, firsthand experience with the business," Noorie Malik, Yelp's vice president of user operations, said in a statement. The platform will restore the review function when the activity around the incident calms down.
The McDonald's incident is part of a larger political narrative, as Trump attempts to build momentum in the final weeks before the 2024 election. His campaign has been closely following Vice President Kamala Harris, making her a frequent target of his criticism. The McDonald's visit was designed as a jab at Harris's story about working at the fast-food chain during her college years. Trump and his team have continuously questioned the accuracy of Harris's account.
In response to the backlash over the event, McDonald's issued a statement distancing itself from any political endorsement. In a memo sent to employees, the company emphasized, "McDonald's does not endorse candidates for elected office, and that remains true in this race for the next President." The memo also clarified that the majority of McDonald's locations are independently owned and operated, which allows franchise owners to decide whether to invite political candidates, as long as they adhere to company guidelines.
The owner of the Feasterville McDonald's, Derek Giacomantonio, confirmed that local law enforcement had approached him about Trump's visit and that he had agreed to showcase his team's work. He added that he was "proud" of the event.
