President Trump pledged that prices will come down in a speech to owners, operators and suppliers of his beloved McDonald’s Monday.
Trump’s address at the fast-food giant’s Impact Summit in Washington, DC, comes as concerns over his handling of the economy and the cost of living have mounted.
“Prices are coming down,” the president claimed.
“I will tell you that nobody has done what we’ve done in terms of pricing,” Trump argued. “We took over a mess. We had the highest inflation in the history of our country … and now we have normal inflation.”
Inflation ticked up to 3% in September over the past 12 months – the highest rate since the start of this year.
The Economist’s famed “Big Mac” index, which tracks the average price of the Golden Arches’ iconic burger, shows the sandwich cost $6.01 in July, up from $5.69 a year ago.
The surge in price comes as the cost of ground beef went up to an average of $6.32 in September — up from $5.67 a year before, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Last week, the Trump administration eased tariffs on imports of beef, coffee, tropical fruits and other food products to help ease affordability concerns.
“We have it down to a low level,” Trump said of inflation. “But we’re going to get it a little bit lower. We want perfection.”
The president, describing himself to the audience as “one of your all-time, most loyal customers,” said he’d heard from CEO Chris Kempczinski that “prices at McDonald’s are coming down,” as well.
Trump touted his investment and trade deals, arguing that the economy would’ve been a “catastrophe” and the country may have gone “bankrupt” if he’d lost to former Vice President Kamala Harris last November.
“You are so damn lucky that I won that election,” he said.
Trump, who served french fries at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s during the 2024 election campaign, quipped that he’s “the very first former McDonald’s frycook to ever become president of the United States.”
“It was not that easy!” he said of working the drive-thru.
Trump argued that McDonald’s employees “know the people of our country better than anybody.”
“Before the sun rises, you’re serving hot coffee to construction workers, nurses and police officers on the way to the job,” he said. “In the evening, you stand ready with the fast dinner and the smile for busy moms and their children as they race from school to soccer practice.
“And late at night your lights are on, and the only one still glowing when the long haul trucker pulls up for a good meal and the best Coca-Cola in America.”
Trump suggested that his go-to McDonald’s item is their Filet-O-Fish — heavy on one condiment.
“I like the fish,” he said. “You could do a little bit more tartar sauce.”
