On Oct. 20, former President Donald Trump donned a yellow-and-gray McDonald’s apron, complete with golden cufflinks, no hairnet and slippery dress shoes, to salt fries and pose for photos with supporters. It seemed he would do anything to win more votes and troll Vice President Kamala Harris.
This publicity stunt angered many Americans, myself included: how could he use labor for a photoshoot? But then I began to consider its implications for the future. If Donald Trump could work behind the counter and salt fries, even for just twenty-five minutes, why couldn’t everybody else? Maybe a seemingly simple political gesture, a reach to be “relatable,” could encourage other candidates to connect more authentically with the public, too. While, yes, Congress is becoming more diverse, many representatives still come from elite backgrounds and hold college degrees, often from Ivy-league institutions. They might have served their country, but they haven’t worked in food service, behind the counter at a convenience store, or as a delivery driver. They haven’t really served us.
According to the National Restaurant Association, food service created 15.5 million jobs in 2024. These include chefs, cafeteria workers, bartenders, bus staff, waiters, waitresses and takeout drivers. They also report that half of all food service workers are racial minorities, 21% were born outside of the United States and 28% speak a language other than English at home. In contrast, just one-quarter of Congress is racially diverse, and only 3% were born abroad.
My grandparents immigrated from Italy in the 1970s, and were able to better assimilate by opening up a pizzeria. My whole family worked in food service — my dad since he was eight — as servers, bussers, dishwashers, chefs and later, as owners and managers. When I was fifteen, I was a grill cook, getting burnt by hot oil and coming home smelling like french fries and sweat. As an ice cream server, I was patient with both young kids and flirting men, and learned not to gag while taking the dairy-filled garbages out after a long, hot day. When I was a server in an Italian restaurant, I learned to be courteous for tired parents and toddlers throwing spaghetti. Those were hard jobs, and I am proud to have done them. They taught me about people of all walks of life, shaping my storytelling and political views —I would not be who I am today without that.
That’s why I want to build on Donald Trump’s accidentally brilliant example, and propose that all public servants, especially those in Congress, the Supreme Court, and the White House, spend a full forty-hour week working in a McDonald’s. I want Donald Trump to clean the grease trap. I want Chuck Schumer to change a CO2 tank. I want Ted Cruz to squish a burger on the grill and watch the bloody juices ooze out. I want Bernie Sanders to wear a hairnet, and for Elizabeth Warren to work the sales counter and try, not just to keep a straight face, but to smile when a customer screams at her. I want Brett Kavanaugh to get used to the nonstop beeping and Mitt Romney to pour too many fries in the basket and get splattered with hot oil on his arms. When Jim McGovern needs to have a good cry, he should have to do it in the walk-in freezer. I want Matt Gaetz to sweat under the heat lamp and the number of tickets piling up in the to-go window. I want Elise Stefanik to get her paycheck and double-check the math.
In reality, after his twenty-five minute shift, Donald Trump took off his apron and left the golden arches behind in a limo. It’s possible his personal chef cooked him dinner, or at least put his Big Mac on a plate, after a long day of press conferences and public appearances, where he was protected by a team of Secret Service members the whole time, on standby if he got hurt.
Working in food service shouldn’t be a humiliation or a stunt; I want the politicians who serve us to experience our realities, and to work these terrible jobs. Maybe after a week, they will see us and themselves differently. Humbled, ideally, but more importantly, I hope their governmental decisions reflect this experience. If they make decisions with their constituents fresh in their minds, not the “tech bros” they court, but the ones who work on the other side of a corporate hellscape, they can better advocate for real people and our needs. I want our politicians to not only learn from this experience, but to understand and seek to change the lives of not just food workers, but everyone who has to work a minimum-wage, high-stress job. That would be incredible service.
