What does 'touch grass' mean? DoorDash defends Grandma's Trump delivery

As DoorDash gets slammed online over its staged White House delivery, a public affairs official for the food delivery service is raising eyebrows with a defense that appeared to go off-script.

Backlash ensued on social media as it came to light that the delivery to the White House on Monday, April 13 wasn't a normal delivery. Instead, the dasher from Arkansas delivered to the White House while promoting Trump's "No Tax On Tips" initiative, which passed last year.

Sharon Simmons, who wore a "DoorDash Grandma" shirt during her delivery, said she has saved thousands through the initiative.

Her presence at the White House — especially her being from Arkansas and having previously appeared with other GOP officials — drew scrutiny online, with critics calling it a coordinated political stunt.

Here's how a DoorDash spokesperson responded.

How has DoorDash responded to White House vist?

Julian Crowley, a public affairs official at DoorDash, pushed back at the notion that Simmons was a MAGA prop.

"She spoke out last year because she believes in No Tax on Tips, just like she spoke out today," Crowley told a user on X. "No Tax On Tips passed the Senate unanimously because it had bipartisan support."

He said Simmons "isn't anyone's prop," writing on X that she is a "proud Dasher who fought hard for this policy."

Crowley even got testy with some users, including with one person who challenged how Simmons has made frequent public appearances representing DoorDash.

"I love a conspiracy as much as the next person but man you need to touch grass," he said. "It was a special delivery to mark a policy that has bipartisan support with the media in attendance."

His use of the phrase "touch grass" — slang for dismissing online criticism and encouraging others to get off the internet — added to the perception that the response was unusually combative for a corporate spokesperson.

It's not the first time the phrase has been used by politicians in a public way. In September, following the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the governor of Utah told people to log off social media and "touch grass." And earlier this year, a Massachusetts congressman urged fellow lawmakers to put down their phones and touch grass.