President Donald Trump got laughs from a crowd of McDonald’s franchise owners, operators and suppliers Monday night when he offered some advice for improving the Filet-O-Fish.
“No matter who you are, everybody loves something at McDonald’s,” he said at the McDonald’s Summit in Washington, DC. “There’s always something to have. I like the fish. I like it. You could do a little bit more tartar sauce though, please. Seriously.”
Why It Matters
Trump’s affection for McDonald’s has been well documented. Jared Kushner wrote in his 2022 memoir Breaking History that one of Trump’s favorite meals was “a McDonald’s Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, fries and a vanilla shake.”
Additionally, the 2017 book Let Trump Be Trump by Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie noted another go-to order: two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish and a chocolate malted shake.
What To Know
Trump described himself as one of the chain’s “all-time, most loyal customers,” saying that before his presidency, his campaign plane “served only McDonald’s almost every time.”
“You fed us very well,” he told attendees.
A photo shared widely online in November 2024 showed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. eating McDonald’s and drinking Coca-Cola alongside then-President-elect Trump aboard Trump Force One. Donald Trump Jr., Elon Musk and House Speaker Mike Johnson also appeared in the picture with the meals.
Kennedy later criticized Trump’s campaign-trail eating habits during an appearance on The Joe Polish Show, calling the food “really bad” and “like just poison,” while acknowledging that campaign food is “always bad.”
Trump joked that he is the first former fry cook to become president, referencing a 2024 Pennsylvania campaign stop where he briefly worked the fry station to counter Democrat Kamala Harris’ stories about her own McDonald’s job in college.
He told the audience he almost “knew I was going to win” the election based on the enthusiastic response he received during that fast-food appearance.
“Every one of them… the response was incredible,” he recalled. “When I saw that, I knew because the response was love.”
What Happens Next
Trump said McDonald’s executives informed him that prices at the chain have begun to decline. Last year, customers expressed outrage on social media over reports of Big Mac meal combos approaching $20, fueling accusations that the brand was drifting away from its affordable roots.
He added that his administration would work with McDonald’s to help bring menu prices back down.
