It was the photo op heard ‘round the world. On October 20, 2024, Donald Trump walked into a McDonald's in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, ditched his suit jacket, and threw on a yellow-and-black apron. He wasn't there for a Big Mac. Well, he probably was, but the primary goal was different: he wanted to man the fry station.
Within hours, the internet did what it does best. It took a highly staged political event and fused it with a ruthless piece of Gen Z slang. Suddenly, trump put the fries in the bag wasn't just a description of a campaign stop; it was a multi-layered meme that perfectly captured the weird, aggressive, and hilarious state of American discourse in 2026.
Honestly, if you’ve spent any time on TikTok or X lately, you’ve seen the phrase. But the story of how a specific insult about "peaking in high school" met a billionaire politician is actually kinda fascinating.
The Day the Golden Arches Went Political
Let’s get the facts straight first. This wasn't a random Tuesday. Trump’s visit to the Bucks County McDonald's was a calculated move to troll Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris has frequently mentioned her summer job at McDonald's during her college years at Howard University as a way to connect with working-class voters.
Trump, never one to let a narrative go unchallenged, claimed—without providing evidence—that she never actually worked there.
"I've now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala," he told reporters through the drive-thru window.
The logistics were tight. The restaurant was actually closed to the public for the event. The "customers" in the drive-thru were pre-selected supporters. Trump learned how to dunk the baskets, salt the fries (he likes a lot of salt), and scoop them into the boxes. He seemed genuinely impressed by the "great expertise" required to do the job.
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But while the campaign was aiming for "man of the people," the internet saw a golden opportunity for a different kind of post.
Where "Put the Fries in the Bag" Actually Comes From
You’ve probably seen the comments. Someone posts a long-winded theory about crypto, or a former child star tries to make a "comeback" video, and the top comment is just: “Just put the fries in the bag, bro.”
It’s a brutal put-down.
The meme originated around 2022 on Facebook but exploded on TikTok in 2023. The original scenario usually involves two people who knew each other in high school. One is successful (the customer); the other is working at a fast-food joint (the employee). When the employee tries to reminisce—“Hey, remember me from gym class?”—the customer shuts them down with, “Just put my fries in the bag, bro.”
It’s meant to imply that the person talking is irrelevant, has no future, and should just get back to their menial task. It’s dismissive. It’s cold. And when Trump actually stood there with a fry scoop, the two worlds collided in a way that felt almost scripted.
Why the Meme Stuck to Trump
- The Visual Literalism: Usually, the meme is metaphorical. With Trump, it was literal. There he was. He was putting the fries in the bag.
- The "Washed Up" Implication: Critics of Trump used the phrase to suggest his political career was over, framing him as the "former big shot" now reduced to retail work.
- The Counter-Meme: Conversely, supporters flipped it. They used it to mock the media or Harris, essentially saying, "Stop talking and look at the man actually doing the work."
The Impact on the 2024 Election and Beyond
Does a fry scoop actually move the needle? Surprisingly, maybe.
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In a November 2025 interview at the McDonald's Impact Summit, Trump admitted that he "almost knew" he would win after that stop. He claimed the response from the 25,000 people who lined the streets in Pennsylvania gave him a boost that no TV ad could replicate.
Whether you love him or hate him, the optics worked. It dominated the news cycle for three days. It spawned thousands of pieces of merch. Even now, in 2026, the phrase trump put the fries in the bag is used as a shorthand for any situation where a celebrity or politician tries too hard to be "relatable."
The Yelp Wars and Public Reaction
The Feasterville McDonald's owner, Derek Giacomantonio, found himself in the middle of a digital firestorm. Shortly after the visit, the restaurant's Yelp page was review-bombed by both sides.
- Critics left one-star reviews, joking about "an old man with no hairnet" or "felons at the window."
- Fans left five-star reviews, calling it the "Greatest McDonald's in history."
Yelp eventually had to disable comments, citing "unusual activity." It was a microcosm of the entire country: a fast-food joint turned into a battleground for the soul of the nation.
What This Tells Us About Modern Politics
We live in a "meme-first" political environment. If a candidate does something that can't be turned into a 7-second clip or a pithy comment, does it even happen?
The trump put the fries in the bag phenomenon shows that voters—especially younger ones—process politics through the lens of internet culture. The phrase itself is a tool for "ego-death." It’s a way to strip away the power of a public figure and remind them that, in the eyes of the internet, they’re just another person behind a counter.
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How to Use the "Put the Fries in the Bag" Mentality
If you're trying to navigate the internet today, understanding this meme is basically a survival skill. It's not just about Trump; it's about the "Sir, this is a Wendy's" energy of the current era.
When to use it (or expect it):
- When someone is over-explaining: If a post is too long and adds no value, "put the fries in the bag" is the new "TL;DR."
- When a brand tries to be edgy: If a corporation tries to use slang incorrectly, the internet will inevitably tell them to just do their job and provide the product.
- In political debates: It’s used to signal that you don’t care about the opponent's "backstory" or "excuses"—you just want results.
Honestly, the best takeaway here is to realize how quickly reality and digital fiction blur. A 78-year-old man worked a fry station for 15 minutes, and it became a permanent fixture of the American lexicon.
Next Steps for the Savvy Reader:
- Check the Context: Next time you see the phrase on social media, look at the "victim." Are they being told to be quiet because they're irrelevant, or is it a literal reference to the 2024 campaign?
- Understand the Shift: Notice how political campaigning has shifted from policy speeches to "stunt-based" content designed specifically for the TikTok algorithm.
- Verify the Source: Remember that while the event was real, the narrative around it is often shaped by whoever makes the funniest meme first.
At the end of the day, whether he was a "fry cook for a day" or just a politician in an apron, the image is burned into the collective memory. Just don't forget the salt.