He's lovin' it: Donald Trump, DoorDash and a long history of McDonald's

Many Americans have been there.

Working from home, clocking long hours, when suddenly a DoorDash delivery driver arrives toting a big paper McDonald's brown bag.

A similar scene – with an audience of reporters and Secret Service surveillance – took place outside the Oval Office on Monday, April 13, when Sharon Simmons handed two hefty sacks to President Donald Trump during a staged event to promote the "no tax on tips" incentives for service workers in his One Big Beautiful Bill.

Simmons, donning a ruby-red "DoorDash Grandma" T-shirt, stayed for a press gaggle where reporters grilled Trump. The exchange became a hot item on social media.

McDonald's has been a signature side to Trump's career, during his reality TV star days and continuing through his ascent to the White House. The global chain is prominent near both small-town squares and Times Square in New York City, and, since launching his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump has sold himself as more of an everyman than an NBC entrepreneur.

The world's most globally recognized fast food chain has found a home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It's likely that no White House occupant in history has revered the Golden Arches to the same degree as Trump. A plaque dedicated to President Bill Clinton, perched at a location in Little Rock, Arkansas, honors his frequent visits to the restaurant as governor. "Thank you for your business, Mr. President," says the tribute erected in 2019.

A date with Grimace

Trump's devotion to the chain includes an appearance in a 1999 commercial in which the New York real estate tycoon bites into a burger and commends Grimace on his color palette.

A far younger Trump hoists up a McDonald’s Big N' Tasty burger in the 30-second spot, pitching the fare as a competitor to Burger King's Whopper. The item was retired from menus in 2011.

"It’s amazing. A Big N’ Tasty for just a dollar? How do you do it? What’s your secret?" Trump asks a silent Grimace, McDonald’s purple character. "You’re a man of few words, I like that."

Trump would bring his favorite hamburger brand with him on his two 21st-century forays running the country.

'All of our favorite foods'

During his first term, Trump invited the Clemson Tigers, the 2019 NCAA football champions, to the White House during a government shutdown. Linebackers lined up for Big Macs and quarter-pounders – four-ounce patties with sliced onions, salt-and-pepper with ketchup and mustard squeezed between a sesame seed bun.

Pizza, 300 to 1,000 Mickey D's hamburgers and "many, many French fries" in their original cardboard packaging served on silver platters and next to giant candelabras celebrated the South Carolina school's victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. "All of our favorite foods," Trump said emphatically.

Trump told players in attendance, including Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, that he had a choice. "Do we have no food for you? 'Cause we have a shutdown," he pondered. Trump said he considered enlisting help from first lady Melania Trump and Karen Pence, the wife of then-Vice President Mike Pence. "Or do we give you some quick little salads that the first lady will make along with the second lady?" Trump said to the crowd.

"I know no matter what we did, there's nothing you can have that's better than that," he continued, referencing the fast-food fare.

He'd reiterate his love for the chain once again in swingy Bucks County, Pennsylvania, during a bid to regain the presidency. Trump punched in for a brief shift at a McDonald's on Oct. 20, 2024 and handed out bags of salty fries and six-piece McNuggets from the drive-thru window to pre-screened patrons. He also dished up unsubstantiated accusations that then-Vice President Kamala Harris had lied when she said she'd worked at the chain.

"I've now worked (at McDonald's) for 15 minutes more than Kamala," Trump said from the drive-thru window, donning an apron over his signature red necktie and white dress shirt. USA TODAY has previously reported that no documentation suggests McDonald's said Harris had lied about her work experience. Both Trump and Harris engaged in a regular back-and-forth about which candidate better understood the working class.

RFK Jr.: 'I don't know how (Trump) is alive' eating McDonald's

After Trump won a second term, his future Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was photographed Nov. 17 sharing McDonald’s with Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr. and Speaker Mike Johnson on a campaign plane.

Trump's plate included two burgers and a large order of fries. A year to the day later, the president spoke to franchisees at the McDonald's Impact Summit in Washington, DC.

Kennedy later took an opportunity to analyze the president's diet.

"The interesting thing about the president is that he eats really bad food, which is McDonald’s, and, you know, candy and Diet Coke. He drinks Diet Coke at all times. He has the constitution of a deity. I don’t know how he’s alive, but he is," Kennedy, who touts raw milk and high-quality meat, said during a spot on "The Katie Miller Podcast" last year.

Oval Office dining option

On a sunny Monday afternoon, Simmons, the DoorDash worker, showed up at the White House to hand off her scheduled delivery.

As Trump spoke to reporters and Simmons waited alongside him, his advisor Steven Cheung posted a picture inside. The image depicted a half-eaten cheeseburger, still in its yellow wrapper.

"Couldn't wait. Had to dig in," Cheung said on X.

(This story was updated with new information.)

Contributing: Kinsey Crowley, Sarah D. Wire of USA TODAY; JD Mullen, The Bucks County Times