Fries, faith and photo-ops: stagecraft in motion
By Dan Bavister
“Hello, how are you?” Donald Trump asks cheerfully in a video from 20th October, filmed during his brief stint behind the counter at a McDonald’s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania. Smiling, he hands a bag of food to a blonde woman in a car. “What a beautiful woman,” he says. “Look at the beautiful child, the whole – it’s like the perfect looking person.”
This staged moment, featuring the former president serving fries, might have surprised some onlookers. Was this a sign of hard times for Mr Trump, reminiscent of the financial struggles of President Harry Truman after his term? Not quite. The restaurant was reportedly closed to the public, with all drive-thru customers carefully pre-screened. Critics, including The Guardian, accused Trump of “cosplaying a minimum wage worker” in what they described as a heavily orchestrated photo opportunity.
Mr Trump sought to embody an idealised version of leadership, all while masking his real, often contradictory, actions.
In this instance, Mr Trump seemed to be targeting Vice President Kamala Harris, who has often shared her experience of working at a McDonald’s during her student years in the 1980s. Ms Harris has used this story to highlight her middle-class upbringing, contrasting it with Mr Trump’s elite background. Yet Mr Trump, who has long cast doubt on Ms Harris’ narrative, recently alleged – without evidence – that she was lying about her past. By choosing Harris’ 60th birthday for his McDonald’s photo op, Mr Trump appeared to make a calculated, symbolic gesture, a reminder of his own version of ‘the American worker’, designed to both challenge Ms Harris and assert his dominance over a political opponent who (he claims) embodies a more established, institutionalised elite.
This is not the first time Trump has employed such theatrical stagecraft to make a point. A notable example occurred during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, when Mr Trump famously held up a bible – albeit upside down – in front of St. John’s Church near the White House. The Bible photo-op was about carefully curated symbolism, one in which Mr Trump sought to embody an idealised version of leadership, all while masking his real, often contradictory, actions.
Mr Trump’s symbolic gestures are not dissimilar to the ones used by other political figures who understand the power of imagery in defining their public persona. During the Brexit campaign, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was adept at using similarly loaded visuals, such as his infamous bus plastered with the claim of £350 million a week for the NHS. His bombastic displays, much like Mr Trump’s, often substituted substance for spectacle, aiming to create an immediate and emotionally resonant message that could carry weight far beyond the specifics of the argument.
Trump’s larger strategy: to create a carefully crafted, image- driven narrative of strength, relatability, and authenticity
Mr Trump’s strategic use of symbolic gestures often arises as a direct response to the criticisms aimed at his public image. The bible incident outside St John’s Church, for instance, followed accusations that he had sought refuge in the White House bunker during the height of the protests, an accusation he seemed eager to counter by presenting himself as a resolute leader, unbowed by pressure.
Similarly, his McDonald’s drive-thru appearance appears to have been a calculated rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s recent characterisation of him as “Wall Street Donald” – a jab at Mr Trump’s elite background in stark contrast to Biden’s working-class roots in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Both of these moments, and others throughout his political career, are part of Mr Trump’s larger strategy: to create a carefully crafted, image- driven narrative of strength, relatability, and authenticity, even when the substance behind the display may be open to question.
Mr Trump’s calculated use of symbolic gestures, though often divisive, has proven effective in shaping public perception and solidifying his appeal among key voter groups. This blend of spectacle and message discipline enabled him to reclaim Pennsylvania in the recent election on 5th November, securing a pathway to the presidency by appealing to those who saw in him both a fighter and a symbol of something greater – a leader they could trust, or at least relate to, in an increasingly divided nation.
Image: Trump White House Archive via Flickr
