NOT LOVIN’ IT

Trump’s Favorite Food Is Failing the Affordability Test

The president picked a McDonald’s summit to recast his message on affordability (and tout his love of fish burgers).

He donned a McDonald’s apron and worked the drive-thru as part of an election stunt in Pennsylvania.

He feasted on burgers and fries aboard Air Force One with former “First Buddy” Elon Musk and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

And his go-to order is a Filet-O-Fish, but as he told a room of McDonald’s owners and operators on Monday night: “You could do a little bit more tartar sauce though, please. Seriously.”

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his love for the Golden Arches, choosing a McDonald’s summit in Washington to tout his economic credentials and dial up his message on cost-of-living pressures.

But for millions of Americans, the president’s favorite fast food outlet isn’t more affordable at all, with a Daily Beast analysis showing some menu items have soared by triple digits over the past six years.

Let’s start with the Big Mac, the totem of Trumpism. In 2019, the iconic burger—filled with two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce and cheese—cost about $4.39.

But this year, according to McDonald’s latest price list, it’s $8.39—an increase of 91 percent.

A Quarter Pounder with cheese will now set you back $6.39 (an increase of 42.5 percent since 2019); while the humble hamburger Happy Meal costs about $6.22 (a jump of 110 percent).

Even small fries, once a dependable $1.79 sidekick in 2019, are now $3.49—a 95 percent spike.

As McDonald’s chairman and chief executive Chris Kempczinski, 57, told investors this month, consumers in the U.S. and other top international markets remain under economic pressure, particularly those earning less.

“There’s some significant inflation there that the low-income consumers are having to absorb, and I think that’s affecting their outlook and their sentiment,” he said.

Nonetheless, Monday’s summit was a suitable backdrop for a fast-food loving president determined to tout America as “the hottest” economy in the world, even as many of his own supporters are feeling the pinch.

“We’re getting prices down for this country, and there’s no better leader or advocate than McDonald’s,” Trump told the audience, in an at times incoherent speech that veered into topics such as his personal water use, Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the Gulf of Mexico.

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“No matter who you are, everybody loves something at McDonald’s.”

The issue of affordability is a sensitive one for Trump, who came to office promising to reduce cost-of-living pressures “from day one.”

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But affordability has become increasingly potent in recent weeks as the government shutdown left countless federal workers without a paycheck and resulted in millions of Americans at risk of losing their SNAP food assistance or facing skyrocketing health insurance.

Concerns also played out from coast to coast earlier this month, when Democrats gave the president a resounding rebuke by winning elections across the country, including in Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

McDonald’s says the company has sought to tackle affordability over the past 18 months through a range of initiatives.

These include meal deals starting at $5; “Buy One, Add One for $1” offers; and the return of an old favorite: extra value meal combos.

As for Trump, he left the McDonald’s summit doing his iconic “Trump dance,” seemingly certain that he had proved his point.

“The Biden administration started the affordability crisis, but my administration is ending it. Prices are way down,” he said.

Fast food bills tell another story.

The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.

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Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

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