Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick slammed his opponent in the highly-anticipated race, Sen. Bob Casey, for "retaliating against McDonald's" after former President Donald Trump visited a location of the fast-food company in the Keystone State while on the campaign trail.
A trio of Senate Democrats, Casey, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, issued a letter Monday to the CEO of McDonald’s, slamming the company for reported price gouging, just one day after Trump worked the fryer at a franchise of the fast-food chain during a campaign event Feasterville, Pennsylvania.
The trio's letter accused the business of inflating prices on consumers to grow profits, sparking McCormick to slam Casey for using "vindictive pressure tactics, simply because he doesn’t like Donald Trump."
"After President Trump's wildly popular visit to the local Feasterville McDonald's franchise, Bob Casey has stooped to a new low by retaliating against McDonald's. This is just the latest in a string of anti-business attacks by Casey on Pennsylvania small businesses and employees. Casey is a liberal, partisan, career politician who knows his family dynasty is coming to an end, so he resorts to a vindictive pressure tactic, simply because he doesn’t like Donald Trump," McCormick told Fox News Digital.
The senators’ letter, which did not cite Trump, was sent one day after Trump’s visit to a McDonald’s in Casey’s home state of Pennsylvania on Sunday.
"While McDonald’s is not the only fast food restaurant that has increased prices significantly in recent years, its dominant market position as the largest fast food chain in the United States has an outsize impact on American consumers," the trio of senators wrote in their letter. "While working families are trying to make ends meet, McDonald’s and its corporate counterparts have continued to grow their profits."
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The letter called on the McDonald's CEO to address questions such as how the company makes pricing decisions on individual menu items, if McDonald’s provides guidelines to franchisees regarding pricing decisions and if McDonald’s executives received bonuses or other incentive-based compensation between 2020 and 2024.
McDonald’s hit back that the letter "demonstrates a lack of understanding of our franchise business model."
"McDonald’s and our franchisees are committed to keeping prices affordable – from the everyday prices on our menu boards, to our popular $5 Meal Deal and other offers available locally or on the App. This letter demonstrates a lack of understanding of our franchise business model and contains contortions of facts and many inaccuracies. Take the components of the $5 Meal Deal with McChicken, for example – which would have cost 15% more in 2020 than they do today. That’s the opposite of price gouging. We will respond to the letter, and in the meantime, continue to show up for our customers and our communities," McDonald’s told Fox News Digital in a comment Tuesday.
Casey pinning blame for inflation and economic woes on price gouging has been a common theme of his highly-anticipated re-election campaign, which shifted from a lean Democrat race to a toss-up by Cook Political Report in a last-minute update this week. Pennsylvania is viewed as the top battleground state this election cycle that will likely determine the outcome of the federal election, with political eyes also locked on the Senate race that pits Casey against McCormick.
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"The corporations say your prices are up only because their costs are up," Casey declared at the DNC over the summer. "They are selling you a lie. It's in the bag with the diapers. Prices are up because these corporations are scheming to drive them up."
The McCormick campaign has hit back that the argument is hogwash, saying that prices have increased for consumers due to the federal government’s "wasteful" spending that was "rubber-stamped" by Democrats such as Casey.
Nearly all McDonald’s locations in the U.S. are individually owned franchises, including the one in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, Trump visited on Sunday.
"I've now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala at McDonald's," Trump said through the drive-thru window as he handed out orders.
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"I love McDonald's, I love jobs, I like to see good jobs. And I think it's inappropriate when somebody puts down all over the place that you work. Think that was a big part of her resume and that you worked at McDonald's," he added.
The McDonald’s that Trump visited is owned by Derek Giacomantonio, who told Fox Digital on Sunday that the franchise opens "our doors to everyone who visits the Feasterville community."
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"As a small, independent business owner, it is a fundamental value of my organization that we proudly open our doors to everyone who visits the Feasterville community. That’s why I accepted former President Trump’s request to observe the transformative working experience that 1 in 8 Americans have had: a job at McDonald’s," Giacomantonio said.
"As a former crew member, I can attest this job is more than burgers and fries, but a meaningful pathway to opportunity. Local Pennsylvania franchisees like me are proud to provide more than 25,000 jobs across the state and I'm honored to showcase my restaurant and the incredible impact of the franchise business model here today," Giacomantonio continued.
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Trump’s visit to the McDonald’s has spurred outrage from Democrats, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who accused Trump of "laughing at" American workers by visiting the McDonald’s.
"You've got Donald Trump putting on a little McDonald's costume, because he thinks that's what people do," Ocasio-Cortez said during a "Get Out the Early Vote" union event in Pennsylvania. "They're not trying to empathize with us. They are making fun of us."
Trump supporters have championed the McDonald’s visit as iconic, posting memes and photos of the former president in support of his re-election.
Fox News Digital reached out to the trio of senators and Casey's campaign regarding the letter but did not receive replies.
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