President Trump on Monday had McDonald's deliver food to the Oval Office to promote his lower tip tax, handing the delivery boy what appeared to be a $100 bill when asked if White House staff were good at tipping.
Sharon Simmons from Arkansas, wearing a red "Door Dash Grandma" T-shirt, knocked on the door with two bags of fast food under the gaze of the media. Trump answered the door and, accompanied by Simmons, answered reporters' questions on a variety of topics. Simmons said she saved a lot of money after the tip tax was eliminated in January.
With control of Congress up for grabs in November's midterm elections, Trump's aides hope to focus this year on touting America's economic strength. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has hampered those efforts, especially as soaring oil prices have raised fuel costs, offsetting tax cuts for tips, Social Security retirement benefits, overtime, car loan interest and state and local taxes included in last year's Republican-backed tax cut bill.
Indeed, last month DoorDash and other companies whose business models rely on independent delivery drivers introduced measures to try to combat rising gas prices.
When a reporter asked Simmons if the White House was good at tipping, she said: "Well, probably."
"Wait a minute," Trump interjected, reaching into his pocket and handing her what appeared to be a $100 bill.
He said, "Thank you, you reminded me."
Asked about the tip later on Fox News, Simmons said: "He took good care of me." But she wouldn't reveal how much she received: "I don't talk about money."
Simmons also diplomatically rebuffed Trump's questions in front of reporters.
Trump asked her: "Do you think men should play women's sports?" She responded: "I really don't have a problem with that, I'm here to talk about the tip tax."
He also asked her if she voted for him. Simmons smiled and said, "Maybe."