Sophie Lebourgeois | A&E Editor
October 24, 2024
This past Sunday, October 20th, Donald Trump visited a local McDonald’s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, and proceeded to get to work. The campaign quickly gained controversy because it stemmed from the claims by Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, that she worked at McDonald’s in her college years.
The visit was not just a typical campaign event, but also a strategic move aimed at addressing and amplifying a controversy involving his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. On several accounts, Harris has utilized her relatable past career at McDonald’s to appeal to the middle class. Harris has mentioned this job in several contexts, including public appearances and campaign ads, as part of her connection with low-wage workers. However, Trump and his supporters have accused Harris of fabricating this part of her resume because she has seemed to disregard both Trump and conservative reporters’ requests for providing proof.
“When I saw the video of Trump working at McDonald’s, I didn’t take it seriously. I just thought it was kind of funny,” said junior Ellie Martin.
Several students said the same thing, and while the whole issue is quite laughable, Trump’s visit to McDonald’s is not the only untraditional campaign strategy we’ve seen this election. Harris has made an appearance on the highly popular podcast “Call Her Daddy,” hosted by Alex Cooper. Due to its reputation for talks about gossip, girl drama, and relationship issues, it was an unexpected and controversial move by the Vice President.
What is quite apparent about both campaigns, and with Trump’s in particular, is their use of common everyday platforms. Whether fast food chains or podcasts, the candidates use everything as an opportunity to jab at one another’s reputation. “At first I didn’t get why Trump was at McDonald’s, but everyone at my school was talking about it and I learned that he was there to make fun of Kamala in a way,” says SCHS graduate Keira Medlin. Medlin feels “lucky that [she] turned 18 the year of the 2024 election,” and is excited to take part in what could “determine our future as Americans.”
This year, we’ve seen some extremely unusual campaigning by both presidential candidates. As the election date approaches, it is safe to say supporters of each party will be seeing more out-of-the-ordinary campaigns in a last-minute attempt to gain votes.
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