As the 2024 presidential race draws nears its end, the mudslinging between former President Trump and Vice President Harris is ramping up as the two candidates battle for votes in a race that polls show is neck and neck.
Yet, while the Republican and Democratic nominees do their best to tarnish each other’s reputations, both have highlighted McDonald’s in the race – and it appears the beloved fast food giant might come out unscathed and even better off than before given how it has handled being under the microscope in a highly polarized political environment.
Harris was the first to introduce McDonald’s into the national discussion when she claimed on the campaign trail that she worked a stent at the fast food chain in college. But given that neither Harris nor McDonald’s has presented proof of the vice president’s alleged time as an employee decades ago, Trump accused Harris of lying about working there.
Then Trump – long known for his love of McDonald’s – capitalized on the opportunity by working at a McDonald’s franchisee’s restaurant over the weekend, making headlines as social media was flooded with images and videos of him making french fries and serving customers at the drive-thru window while claiming his brief “shift” was still longer than Harris had spent working at the chain.
Afterward, McDonald’s leadership team issued an internal memo that was leaked to the press, wherein the company reiterated its apolitical position while emphasizing, “we open our doors to everyone.”
“McDonald’s does not endorse candidates for elected office and that remains true in this race for the next president,” the memo reads. “We are not red or blue – we are golden.”
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The company also gave a nod to each candidate’s embrace of the brand.
“Though we are not a political brand, we’ve been proud to hear former President Trump’s love for McDonald’s and Vice President Harris’s fond memories working under the Arches,” it continued. “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.”
Marketing and public relations experts are heaping praise on McDonald’s for how the company has navigated its time in the spotlight during the race.
“The truth is McDonald’s has so far navigated this cycle’s politics better than the candidates at times,” public relations expert Chad Gallagher of Legacy Consulting told FOX Business. “They’re receiving a near unlimited amount of advertising and have befriended themselves to one set of voters without alienating the other side.”
Gallagher argued that McDonald’s corporate can distance itself from the action of franchise owners, but it isn’t really necessary because there’s been no push back from Democrats over Trump’s appearance.
In Gallagher’s view, “Trump claimed a victory connecting with voters and got a lot of mileage out of the stop, Harris supporters criticize Trump calling it a stunt, and McDonalds is selling more fries than ever.”
Nadja Atwal, a business publicist and crisis manager in New York, says McDonald’s has actually received an image boost from the situation.
“McDonald’s must enjoy all of it as free advertising where the two people who currently compete for the highest office in the country are fighting over an association with the brand,” Atwal told FOX Business. “If the Harris camp now wanted her to spend a day in a McDonald’s kitchen, McDonald’s would surely say yes. So as long as the brand gives both candidates the same opportunity, McDonalds continues to profit from it all.”
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While most of the experts FOX Business spoke with agreed that McDonald’s has handled its time in the limelight well during the race thus far, some warned that the company could still face backlash. Others argued that the prospect is a given.
“McDonald’s has done everything properly to stay as non-committal as possible, and it’s worked up till now. It’s worked incredibly well,” said Bruce Turkel, brand expert and keynote speaker, in an interview. “However, there is no frontier in the middle. You cannot straddle the fence firmly and keep the status quo. It’s not possible.”
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Turkel said that part of why McDonald’s messaging has worked has to do with the high-quality connection the brand has with the consumer.
“But it ain’t going to continue,” he told FOX Business. “And at some point, they’re going to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the quagmire.”
