Northeast
'Vindictive': Democrat in tight Senate race blasted by GOP rival for swipe at McDonald's after Trump visit
GOP Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick slammed his opponent, incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., for “retaliating against McDonald’s” after former President 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 — on Monday issued a letter to the CEO of McDonald’s, castigating 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 in 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.
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Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., left, and GOP Senate candidate Dave McCormick. (Getty Images)
The senators’ letter, which did not cite Trump, was sent one day after the former president’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.”
Casey’s campaign on Wednesday brushed off McCormick’s comment, arguing the longtime Democratic senator “will always fight against corporate greed.”
“While Connecticut hedge fund CEO David McCormick works to enrich himself and his billionaire backers, Sen. Casey will always fight against corporate greed to put more money in Pennsylvanians’ pockets,” Casey campaign spokesperson Kate Smart told Fox Digital.
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Former President Trump and Dave McCormick shake hands during a campaign event in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 9. (Reuters/Jeenah Moon)
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.
Former President Trump, speaks with Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on Sunday. (Brooke Singman)
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 Democratic National Convention 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.
Former President Trump works the drive-thru line at a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Nearly all McDonald’s locations in the U.S. are individually owned franchises, including the one 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 she [Harris] worked at McDonald’s. It was a big part of her résumé that she 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.
Former President Trump worked as a fry cook on Sunday at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, claiming he has now worked at the fast-food chain longer than Vice President Kamala Harris. (Brooke Singman)
“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 location has spurred outrage from Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who accused Trump of “laughing at” American workers by visiting the restaurant.
“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 regarding the letter but did not receive replies.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Looking up at the night sky in northern and rural Maine, it is a sight to behold, almost unique in today’s lit-up world. The Rangeley region is one of the last areas in the Northeast largely untouched by light pollution.
It is also a draw for many tourists and stargazers who come to the region for the clear view of the night sky.
A new group called Friends of the Western Maine Dark Sky hopes that by limiting the amount of light pollution, those views will be preserved for generations to come.
The group gathered at the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust on March 3 to talk about ways to educate the community on the importance of dark skies to the region.
One of their primary efforts is to try to designate Rangeley as an official Dark Sky community.
The designation will require a few steps. First, an application will be submitted to DarkSky International expressing an interest. Then, the town of Rangeley will need to adopt a new lighting ordinance at the June town meeting.
A new state law taking effect in October will require publicly funded outdoor lighting across the state to be dimmed at night to protect wildlife and dark skies. This includes using warm, yellow-toned bulbs, dimming or turning off nonessential lights and shielding lights so they don’t shine upward into the sky.
The town ordinance would create guidelines similar to the state laws on the kinds of lights used in town, as well as restrict some signs, such as LED message boards. Existing boards would be allowed to remain in place.
“The fact that the existing signage is grandfathered in perhaps bodes well for getting an approval of the town meeting,” said Linda Dexter, Dark Sky community certification coordinator at the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, who is leading the effort. “It’s going to impact businesses in the town … right out of the gate, folks will tend to not vote for it.”
Even if an ordinance passes, change would likely be slow. Most of the group’s efforts will be on community education, such as informing seasonal residents to turn off the lights at their camps while they are gone for the winter. Also, the application may not be approved for up to six months after it is submitted, Dexter said.
Several school districts in Massachusetts have delayed the start of classes for Friday, March 6 because of a mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow.
Take a look below for the full list of school closings and delays.
The list displays all public schools in alphabetical order, followed by private schools and then colleges and universities.
Delays on this page are current as of
The federal government has activated the New Hampshire National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing in connection with the war with Iran.
“I’ve had a briefing myself, a classified briefing, but it’s really important on the messaging on this that we really coordinate with the Pentagon,” Gov. Kelly Ayotte told reporters during a press briefing following Wednesday’s Executive Council meeting.
Ayotte said she was unable to share additional details about the nature of the New Hampshire National Guard’s activity related to the conflict, including how many guard members have been activated or what role they are playing.
“We’re going to respect what messaging comes out of the Pentagon just to make sure that our men and women in uniform are fully protected and that we aren’t providing any information that could be used in a way that would be harmful to them,” Ayotte said.
In a statement Thursday, Ayotte said the unit had been deployed in late February to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of the operation.
Earlier this week, Pentagon officials confirmed that members of the Vermont National Guard were involved in attacks against Iran over the weekend, though our news partners at Vermont Public were not able to confirm additional details on the nature of the operation.
During the briefing with local reporters, Ayotte also stressed her support for servicemembers and those close to them.
“I have such respect for our men and women in uniform,” Ayotte said. “As you know, I come from a military family, and they have our full support, and we appreciate them and their families, and obviously anyone who is serving right now, and my thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost someone that they love.”
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