In an address to McDonald’s franchisees that blended personal anecdotes with economic policy, President Trump made the surprising claim that he was “the very first former McDonald’s fry cook ever to become President of the United States,” setting an informal tone for a speech focused on small business growth and economic recovery.
Speaking to a gathering of restaurant owners on Wednesday, Trump positioned himself as both champion and customer of the fast-food giant while outlining his administration’s economic achievements and future plans. “My pledge to every family and every small business is that I will not rest until you are richer, stronger, more successful, happier, until you’ve gotten a piece of the American Dream,” Trump declared to the audience of franchise operators.
Economic Recovery and the “Affordability Crisis”
The president painted a picture of economic progress under his leadership, citing specific metrics to bolster his claims. “There’s still a lot of work to do — and we’re making tremendous progress. 1.9 million more American-born workers are employed today than when I took office,” he stated, adding that “wages for hourly workers are rising at the fastest pace in 60 years.”
Trump didn’t mince words about who he believes caused economic hardships for Americans. “The Biden Administration started the affordability crisis — and my Administration is ending it,” he claimed. He pointed to recent drops in food prices as evidence of his policies’ effectiveness, noting that “breakfast items has fallen 14%, bread prices are down, dairy prices are down; the price of eggs has declined 86% since March.”
What’s driving these improvements? According to Trump, it’s his administration’s approach to taxes and regulations. He highlighted the passage of what he called the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which eliminated taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security income for seniors — a package he characterized as “the largest tax cuts in American history” while contrasting it with what he described as Democrats’ plans for “the largest tax hike in history.”
Small Business Focus
Throughout his remarks, Trump emphasized his commitment to small business owners, particularly those in the franchise model. “I’m fighting every day to support small businesses like yours and the citizens that we all serve,” he told the audience, framing his vision as one “where everyone can win, from the cashier starting her first job, to the franchisee opening his first location, to the young family in a drive-thru line.”
The president pointed to regulatory cuts as a key achievement for small businesses. “We slashed more than $1 trillion worth of regulations, burdens on the U.S. economy — in particular, on businesses and people that employ people,” Trump explained. He claimed these cuts, combined with tax reductions, “reduced the effective burden on franchisees by more than 37%.”
Looking back to his first term, Trump referenced his decision to terminate what he called “Obama’s infamous ‘joint employer rule'” — a move he characterized as stopping “a mortal threat to the franchise business model.” He pledged continued support, promising that “as long as I’m President, I’ll always defend your right to run your own small businesses, and do it well.”
The Presidential Menu
Perhaps the most colorful moment came when Trump described his personal connection to the fast-food chain. “As you may have heard, I’m also one of your all-time most loyal customers,” he noted, revealing an unexpected detail about his campaign operations: “While other politicians fly around on campaign planes stocked with expensive catering, on Trump Force One… we serve only McDonald’s almost every time.”
The president’s remarks to McDonald’s franchisees underscored a consistent theme of his administration — positioning himself as both a champion of business and a man of the people, equally comfortable discussing economic policy and fast-food preferences. Whether his claim about being a former fry cook stands up to scrutiny might be another matter entirely, but his message of economic recovery through deregulation and tax cuts came through with all the subtlety of a drive-thru speaker.
