Topline
Former President Donald Trump stopped at a Dairy Queen in Iowa ahead of a rally Friday afternoon, as the 2024 GOP candidate embarked on his latest visit of the 2024 race to a fast food joint or diner, which has also included a Miami Cuban restaurant he entered fresh off his indictment over allegedly mishandling classified documents.
Former President Donald Trump greeting supporters at Versailles Cuban Restaurant minutes after … [+]
Key Facts
Trump arrived at a Dairy Queen in Council Bluffs, Iowa—just east of Omaha—to chants of “USA,” asking a packed house at the so-called Grill and Chill, “Who wants a Blizzard?”
The former president stopped at Miami Cuban restaurant Versailles last month, offering “food for everyone,” less than an hour after he pleaded not guilty to felony charges of mishandling national defense documents he took to Mar-A-Lago—the visit also coincided with Trump’s 77th birthday, leading to a “happy birthday” serenade from patrons.
In February, Trump ordered McDonald’s for residents and first responders in East Palestine, Ohio, following a train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals into the town’s groundwater.
The food tour is not new for Trump: As a candidate in 2016, Trump visited Iowa pizza restaurant Pizza Ranch ahead of the Iowa caucuses, left an $83 tip at a coffee shop in Miami, visited the Boulevard Diner in Dundalk, Maryland, and on Cinco de Mayo ordered a taco bowl to-go, posting a photo on Twitter with the caption: “I love Hispanics!”
Trump also ordered pizza at Arcaro & Genell in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, on the campaign trail in 2020, though his public outings during his first reelection bid were largely derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic—his campaign still ordered take-out and catering, including from a Minneapolis steakhouse that was forced to quarantine after Trump tested positive for the coronavirus following a private fundraiser.
Tangent
Trump had previously posed with a spread of fast food from McDonald’s, Domino’s, Wendy’s and Burger King he said he purchased for the Clemson University football team after its 2019 championship, during a time when the White House was operating with thin staffing due to a partial government shutdown.
Contra
Trump has not always been well-received during his restaurant trips, including during a meal at a New Hampshire diner in January 2016, when a customer yelled: “Enjoy your burger, racist!” But he’s not the only candidate or politician to be heckled while eating. In May, a Florida woman was arrested and charged with battery for throwing a glass of wine at hard-right firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) at a private event. In February, President Joe Biden was also heckled at a Washington, D.C., restaurant by protestors demanding he seek peace negotiations in Ukraine.
Further Reading
Trump Drives Straight From Federal Arraignment To Miami Cuban Restaurant—As He Campaigns Off Classified Docs Charges (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/07/07/trump-orders-dairy-queen-blizzards-here-are-the-other-stops-on-his-2024-campaign-food-tour/