"We do these things in politics; they’re a little embarrassing," the president said on Thursday, April 16
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NEED TO KNOW
- DoorDash delivery worker Sharon Simmons delivered McDonald’s to President Donald Trump on Monday, April 13 at the White House
- On Thursday, April 16, he called the delivery “tacky,” saying it was a “crazy” idea
- “We do these things in politics; they’re a little embarrassing,” he said
President Donald Trump admits it was “tacky” to have a DoorDash delivery at the White House to promote his no tax on tips policy.
On Thursday, April 16, the president appeared at a roundtable in Las Vegas, where he discussed the policy, which is part of his “Big Beautiful Bill Act" and is intended to provide tax breaks and larger tax refunds for tipped workers.
Trump, 79, also promoted the policy on Monday, April 13, when he received a McDonald's order from DoorDash delivery driver Sharon Simmons at the Oval Office doors.
When Trump addressed the moment on Thursday, he explained that Simmons is “driving DoorDash to help support her husband's cancer treatments.”
“Sharon delivered to the Oval Office — to be honest, it was a little tacky,” Trump said. “They come up with these crazy ideas."
Credit: Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty
“We do these things in politics; they're a little embarrassing. They're a little tiny embarrassing, but we do them and you win by landslides," Trump said, repeating his claims that he won election to the presidency in landslides.
Trump later said in Las Vegas that the delivery person knocking on the Oval Office was likely a “first” in its history.
“I said, ‘Is this really believable?' ” he recalled.
Trump was mocking the moment while it occurred on Monday. As Trump answered the door and greeted Simmons, he joked to the gathered reporters, “This doesn't look staged.”
Simmons, who was wearing a “DoorDash Grandma” shirt, gave him the two brown bags from McDonald's, saying, “They're all your favorites.” The president received the food and shared the McDonald's cheeseburgers and fries with West Wing staff.
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Simmons said she saved $11,000 on her tax bill, thanks to the no tax on tips policy. She declined to say whether she voted for Trump when he asked her.
While Trump stood beside Simmons, he also defended publishing a since-deleted post of an AI-generated image depicting him as a Jesus-like figure. He told reporters he thought the image depicted him as a "doctor making people better" and cited Simmons' tax break as an example. The president said Simmons could use the money to pay for her husband's "very serious cancer treatment."
The president also invited Simmons and her husband Leo to the UFC fight at the White House scheduled for June 14 in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.' founding. Simmons said “that would be wonderful” and noted her husband is “doing very well” amid his cancer treatment.
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