President Donald Trump fused his “golden age of America” message with the Golden Arches on Monday evening, using a McDonald’s summit as a backdrop to tout his economic agenda.
Trump, while describing himself as one of McDonald’s “all-time most loyal customers,” pushed his tax and regulatory policies during a speech at McDonald’s Impact Summit in Washington, D.C. His speech focused heavily on the massive tax and spending bill that Republicans passed earlier this year, which eliminated taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits, as well as other policies implemented by his administration.
“For tens of millions of our citizens, the road to the American dream starts beneath the golden arches, beautiful golden arches,” Trump said. “So to each and every one of you, thank you, and congratulations on 70 years of American greatness. … And you know, I just might add, this is also the golden age of America because we are doing better than we’ve ever done as a country. Prices are coming down and all of that stuff.”
Concerns of affordability have plagued Trump’s second term as he has tried to wrangle rising prices due to inflation. In September, consumer prices increased at an annual rate of 3%, an increase from 2.9% in August, according to data from the Labor Department. The data also showed that grocery prices are 2.7% higher than they were in September of last year, and gas prices increased by 4.1% from the previous month.
Trump has largely tried to pin economic problems on former President Joe Biden, whose administration was also hindered by inflation.
“The Biden administration started the affordability crisis, and my administration is ending it,” Trump said. “I’m ending it.”
Speaking in front of McDonald’s owners, operators, and suppliers, Trump pledged that he would not rest until “every family and every small business” is “richer, stronger, more successful, happier, till you’ve gotten a piece of the American dream.”
Trump went on to take a jab at Democrats, saying that “affordable” should be “our word, not theirs.”
“Because the Democrats got up and took affordability, affordability, and they don’t say that they had the worst inflation in history, the highest energy prices in history,” Trump said. “Everything was the worst. What they’re great at is lying. They say affordability. This stuff was all much more expensive.”
On inflation, Trump said that his administration has it “down to a low level, but we’re going to get it a little bit lower.”
“We want perfection,” Trump said.
Trump has spoken more about affordability in the weeks since the GOP’s losses in the 2025 off-year elections, in which voters cited economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in Democrats winning the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey and overperforming in downballot races.
The president even scrapped tariffs, which have been a cornerstone of his administration, on beef, coffee, and tropical fruits on Friday as his administration looks to ease voters’ concerns over the economy.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO EASE FOOD TARIFFS IN AFFORDABILITY PUSH
During the 2024 election, Trump went viral for making an appearance at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, where he donned an apron and worked the fryer in an appeal to working-class voters. Trump referenced his famous campaign stop during his remarks, saying it was “an amazing moment” to see the reactions of voters at the drive-thru window.
“The response was incredible, almost like I knew I was going to win when I saw that,” Trump said.
