Episode 566 Show Notes- McDonalds Moment: Trump Trolls Kamala Harris and the Media

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Episode Description

In this episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, Professor Nick Giordano explores how Trump masterfully trolled Kamala Harris through his viral McDonalds campaign photo op and contrasts it with Harris’s struggle to connect with ordinary Americans. He examines the optics, the millions in free media Trump gained, and why the left, Democrats, and the media are so angry. Then, he breaks down the campaign promises of both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, highlighting the push for government dependency versus the message of self-reliance. Tune in for a critical analysis of how these campaign promises reflect their visions for America’s future.

Episode Highlights:

• The Trump McDonald’s photo op: How it trolled Kamala Harris and exposed the media disconnect.
• Kamala Harris’s extravagant promises of increased federal spending vs. Trump’s push for no taxes.
• How both campaigns’ optics and promises are playing out in the latest polling trends.

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Show Notes- McDonalds Moment: Trump Trolls Kamala Harris and the Media

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Welcome to The P.A.S. Report Podcast

[Intro Transcript] Welcome to another episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast. I’m your host, Nick Giordano, and I am glad you could join me today. If you’re not already a subscriber, consider subscribing and following the podcast so you never miss an episode. Also, visit The P.A.S. Report website, and share this episode with others to inform them of the issues impacting our great nation.

Trump Goes to McDonalds

It is crazy to think that we are less than two weeks away from the 2024 election. Think about where we started and where we are today. Think about what has transpired in the last four to five months, and the impact it has had on the presidential race. It is remarkable, and there is not a single election in our history that we can compare this to.

At this point, there are very few things that surprise me, but the one thing that does is that after all these years, you would think that the Democrats, the media, and the elitists, would begin to figure Trump out and why millions of people support him. But they are unable to do that because they remain in their bubbles. If they escaped their echo chambers, maybe they would begin to understand. Maybe, just maybe, it would pierce through the groupthink mentality.

And this is not to say that groupthink doesn’t exist on the right of the political spectrum or that the right doesn’t speak to their own echo chamber. It certainly does, but there is a stark difference.

The left’s biggest problem is their inability to self-reflect and ask themselves what created Trump in the first place and why he resonates with so many ordinary people. Why does he connect with people? Think about this logically, in the last several election cycles, Democrats and the media have successfully typecasted their political opponents. There is no better example than when Mitt Romney challenged President Barack Obama in 2012.

Mitt Romney has a net worth of nearly $300 million, and in the 2012 election, Democrats and the media successfully defined him as an out-of-touch elitist. A multimillionaire who couldn’t relate to the problems ordinary people face. He was the Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. Greedy, conniving, and someone who only cared about wealth and power.

Now, you have Trump, who is a billionaire, with over 10x the wealth of Mitt Romney. Yet, even though he has far more wealth than Romney, his main base of support is ordinary, middle-class Americans, mostly blue-collar. And the number one reason they say they support him is two-fold.

First, they say that Trump understands their problems and the struggles ordinary people face in their life. That’s remarkable when you think about it.

Secondly, they say that both parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have turned their backs on the people, and former President Trump is a disruptor.

But rather than try to understand why people have lost faith in the political parties, and by extension the government, they continue to mock and demean millions of Americans as if they are too dumb and understand what’s in their best interests. They routinely talk down to those they disagree with. The bitter clingers, the basket of deplorables, racists, bigots, misogynists, fascists, and just about every other negative connotation you can think of.

It’s this exact reason we see the disconnect, and Democrats and the media still don’t know how to handle Trump. They don’t understand how Trump is extremely calculated and a showman. It’s not to say that Trump doesn’t create his own problems, and sometimes Trump is his own worst enemy.

With that being said, I think what Trump did on Sunday when he visited McDonalds proves my point. It sent Democrats and the media into a frenzy. They were unhinged and visibly angry by the photo op. Rather than just laugh it off and show that they can have a sense of humor, they screamed that Trump working at McDonalds was a staged photo op and showed that he had lost his mind and is mentally unfit for the office of the presidency.

They simply don’t get it and fell for the bait hook, line, and sinker. I will talk about the political implications of the Trump McDonalds visit and what it means for the 2024 presidential election. I will talk about its impact and the trend in the polls. And I will discuss the campaign pledges of both candidates. How many of the proposals are unrealistic, but also how one candidate promotes government dependency and the other focuses on the individual?

So, don’t go anywhere because we will get to it all after this quick break.

Break

Trump Trolls Kamala At McDonalds

Welcome back to The P.A.S. Report. So before the break, I was talking about how Trump’s visit to McDonald’s sent Democrats and the media into a frenzy.

I swear, Trump should write a new book, and title it The Art of the Troll. Democrats are screaming that the event was staged and nothing more than a photo op. You don’t say? Of course, it was staged. That was the whole point. Just like Kamala Harris visiting a Baptist Church after she told hecklers that they were at the wrong rally after she screamed out Jesus is Lord during one of her campaign events. They’re just mad that Trump’s photo op worked and hers didn’t.

Vice President Harris has a major problem. She is inauthentic and has difficulty connecting with ordinary Americans. She regurgitates memorized lines, and she and her campaign believe that people will simply buy into whatever she says. It’s why in every interview and campaign appearance she would repeat the line ad nauseum. That, and when she constantly talks about an opportunity economy and hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

Most people see through it. They see she isn’t an authentic candidate. Whereas Trump never claims to be middle class. He always boasts about how rich and successful he is, but more importantly, he doesn’t talk about Americans in a condescending tone in order to relate to them.

Getting back to Trump and the McDonalds point. Democrats and the media are hoping that this is Trump’s Dukakis moment. In the 1988 presidential election, the Dukakis campaign thought that having Dukakis in a tank would portray him as a sound choice for commander-in-chief. Instead, it had the opposite effect and tanked his campaign – pun intended.

He looked like a fool with his dopey grin and huge helmet, and it opened up criticism of how he was weak on defense. Dukakis went on to lose 40 out of 50 states in the general election, and the Democrats are praying that Trump working at McDonalds will have the same effect.

I hate to break it to them, but that’s wishful thinking. This was a stroke of campaign genius. First, of all, in order to seem relatable to ordinary people, Kamala Harris claimed she worked at McDonalds, yet she hasn’t provided any evidence that she actually did. McDonalds has no record of her, and that’s where Trump is trying to bait her. We don’t know the location she worked at. No one has come out to say they worked with her. It’s complete radio silence. And for those who want to argue that the employment records were likely destroyed because it was decades ago, the IRS would have a record of her working at McDonald’s and paying taxes.

Now, the first objective of Trump’s photo op was to spotlight that the Vice President is lying to the American people and reinforce how inauthentic she is if she is willing to lie about something simple like working at McDonalds.

The second objective was to humanize Trump more. Here’s a billionaire, Trump, that isn’t afraid to throw on an apron, work a fry station, and hand out bag’s of McDonalds to people. This simple act not only made him seem more relatable but also reinforced his image as someone who understands and connects with everyday Americans, despite his wealth.

Juxtapose this with Kamala Harris’s campaign which relies on the star power of the wealthy elite, whether it’s Hollywood, the music industry, or Oprah. Trump has the ability to embrace down-to-earth moments and showcase his retail politics skills because he is pretty good with people. I said before that he is a showman and understands the importance of optics. He doesn’t need to rehearse sit-down dinners or purchase bags of Doritos as the Vice President does.

The third objective was simple. Free media. How many of millions of dollars has Trump earned in free media because of this stunt? Think about the amount of money that the Kamala Harris campaign has raised and spent. They outraised the Trump campaign by a margin of 3 to 1, and they are burning through the cash. Trump knows how to take over media cycles, and people are still talking about the McDonalds photo op.

And these types of campaign stops appear to be working. The more the American people see and hear from Kamala Harris, the less they like. I stated last week that we were beginning to see small movements in the polls that trend toward Trump. The trend continues following the Vice President’s disastrous interview with Bret Bair on Fox News. Then Kamala Harris was a no-show for the Al Smith dinner.

Optics-wise, the video she put out was cringeworthy, and she was roasted for not showing up. Now that’s not going to make or break the election, but optics matter, and to allow Trump all the attention, Trump was effectively able to take the spotlight, and even with an audience that certainly wasn’t Trump supporters, Trump was able to engage and make them laugh.

And now you have the Trump McDonalds photo op. These things matter because the trend in the final two weeks is important, especially as early voting gets underway in the majority of states. Ask yourself this, with less than two weeks to go, if you were running a political campaign, which campaign would you rather be running?

Now, this doesn’t mean that Trump will win. I stated on numerous occasions, that this election is impossible to call. That it’s going to be a very close election and neither candidate can take anything for granted. That the election is essentially a coin toss, and I don’t necessarily think the polls are accurate.

However, I would much rather be the campaign that has the momentum as opposed to the campaign that’s stuck in the mud.

And I will tell you this, the next week is going to be very revealing to watch where the Harris campaign begins to shift money, and to see if any of her staff begin to jump ship. Pay attention to that.

Now, when we get back from this quick break, I want to talk about the policies the two candidates are proposing, specifically the stark contrast between the two candidates. So, everyone hang tight, and we’ll be right back.

Break

What are Former President Trump and Vice President Harris Proposing?

Welcome back, everyone. So I want to talk a little about the policies being proposed by the two candidates, and what it tells us about their ideology. The truth is when it comes to policies both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are proposing things that will never pass through Congress or see the light of day, but does that really matter?

Do the American people really vote for a president based on policy or is it more about energy, personality, and leadership?

Americans don’t necessarily vote on actual policies. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t play a role, but in Federalist 70, Hamilton argued that it was more the latter and he wasn’t wrong.

With that being said, it is important to look at the policies they are proposing because they represent two very different versions of America. In fact, these visions couldn’t be more different from each other.

First, I want to explain what I mean when I say both candidates’ policies are unrealistic and will likely never happen. I’ll start with Trump. Trump is proposing no tax on tips. No tax on social security payments. No tax on overtime pay. First off, you can’t cut off all these revenue streams.

The Trump campaign says that the growth generated will cover the drop in revenues, but fiscal responsibility matters, and the only way that you could even consider a proposal like this would be if you are also proposing to cut federal spending dramatically. We are already running insane deficits, and our National Debt is well over $35 trillion. We are spending over a trillion dollars a year in interest payments, which is nearly 20% of our federal budget.

It would be highly irresponsible to eliminate taxes on certain income without slashing federal spending. Another problem with the no-tax plan is how exactly would that work. I do a lot of consulting which is deemed as 1099 independent contracting. Well, rather than receive an independent contract fee, what if they just paid me and declared it a tip? You see how easy it would be to manipulate. How many employers would reclassify how they categorize and pay their employees?

Anyone who thinks that the no-tax policies being proposed would pass Congress must have gotten into Hunter Biden’s stash.

Now, let’s look at Kamala Harris’s proposals. She is proposing $6,000 for parents who have a child, $25,000 in downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers, and $50,000 to help people start a small business. As with Trump, these proposals are dead on arrival.

There are approximately 3.6 million babies born in the United States each year, and her proposal will cost taxpayers $21.6 billion in new spending each year. There are approximately 2 million first-time homebuyers each year, and providing $25,000 in downpayment assistance would cost taxpayers $50 billion in new spending a year. Then the $50,000 for small businesses, which if this ever went through, I would open up ten small businesses and make bank. But getting to my point, each year over 5 million new small businesses are started according to the Small Business Administration. At $50k a pop that would cost the United States taxpayers over $250 billion per year in new spending.

So right off the bat, we are talking about nearly $400 billion in new spending, and this does not include how she wants to expand Medicare, Medicaid, and other social welfare programs. She also tried to steal Trump’s no tax on tips and has pledged to reduce taxes for the middle class. Now, you can increase the taxes substantially, and it still would not cover the cost of the increase in spending.

Oh, wait. I didn’t even mention her proposal to build 3 million homes throughout the United States to try to bring down housing costs. The average cost to build a home is about $300,000. This is just the construction costs, not the cost of land. So, if I take the construction costs alone, you are talking about an outlay of nearly $1 trillion. In the words of Joe Biden…C’mon man, give me a break.

It’s completely unrealistic and will never happen. I explained two weeks ago how the government allocated $42 billion to expand broadband service three years ago. Yet, three years later, not a single person has been connected to broadband under this program. Or what about the $7.5 billion allocated three years ago to build electric charging stations? To date, the government has built about 7 or 8.

But somehow, we are supposed to pretend that the government can build 3 million new homes. Sorry, but this isn’t the post-World War II America. Our culture and our government have changed dramatically since then. It’s just another pie-in-the-sky proposal.

However, despite the proposals being unrealistic, it does reveal the mindset of each candidate and there is a stark difference between the two, which I will talk about more when we get back from this quick break. So, hang tight, and we will be right back.

Break

Trump vs. Harris: Two Very Different Visions of America

Welcome back, everyone. Before the break, I discussed how both candidates make unrealistic proposals, but that despite the proposals being unrealistic, it does reveal two fundamentally different visions for America.

One vision relies heavily on government intervention and expanded federal programs, as seen in Kamala Harris’s proposals, and another that champions self-reliance, limited government, and individual responsibility, embodied by Donald Trump’s approach.

Now, I want to take this conversation deeper and connect it to the principles our Founding Fathers laid out when they established this nation. The vision Kamala Harris promotes – a government deeply involved in every aspect of life, dictating housing, healthcare, education, and even the livelihoods of its citizens – is a far cry from the America envisioned by the Founders.

They understood that the more power the government holds, the less freedom the individual has. This was the very reason they fought for independence, rejecting the idea of being ruled by a distant power that sought to control their lives.

When the government provides for all your needs, from housing to healthcare to income, you become dependent on the state. And let me be clear: government dependency equals being a slave to the state.

Dependency erodes individual liberty and personal freedom. In a society where the people are reliant on the government for their basic needs, power shifts away from the people and into the hands of bureaucrats. It leads to a population that becomes complacent, unable or unwilling to challenge the state because their survival depends on whatever the state is doling out.

The alternative vision, one rooted in the principles of self-reliance and individual responsibility, is the vision of true freedom. When you rely on your own abilities, your community, and limited government intervention, you maintain control over your life.

They didn’t create the Constitution to grant power to a government that would control every aspect of life. Instead, they designed a system that would restrain government power, ensuring that the people remained free to make their own decisions and determine their fate. For God’s sake, they fought a revolution over a 1-2% tax rate because they had little representation.

Well, how many of you out there feel like you are being represented today? How many of you feel like you have a say?

Donald Trump’s policies, while not perfect, align more closely with this vision of America. His emphasis on self-reliance and economic opportunity is about the ability of individuals to take control of their lives unencumbered by the government.

It’s about giving people the tools and freedom to succeed on their own, not making them dependent on the state for survival. It’s this vision of limited government and personal responsibility that has made America the land of opportunity, where anyone can rise and succeed through hard work and perseverance.

In contrast, Kamala Harris’s vision expands the federal government’s role in ways that undermine this very foundation. Her proposals promise comfort and security but at the cost of personal freedom and autonomy. And even the comfort and security she’s offering is nothing more than an illusion.

The Founders warned us that when the government grows too large, it inevitably becomes tyrannical. It may not look like tyranny in the traditional sense, but it’s a slow erosion of freedom. Everything in life is a tradeoff, and when the government expands, liberty contracts. When people demand more government services, they are no longer free people. Rather, they are subjects of the state.

As we head into this election, the choice before us isn’t about policies or even about personalities. It’s about two competing visions of America’s future. One that seeks to expand government power and make citizens reliant on the state, and one that believes in limiting government, fostering self-reliance, and upholding the individual freedoms that the Founders fought to protect.

The question you have to ask yourself is simple: do we want to be free citizens, or do we want to be dependent subjects?

Thank you for joining me today. I’ll be back next week with another great episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast.

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Click here to read Professor Giordano’s latest piece at Campus Reform

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