Et tu, Ronald?
In a betrayal worthy of Shakespeare, McDonald’s has savaged its most loyal customer, US president Donald Trump. The American fast food conglomerate’s rogue Twitter attack, already deleted, called Trump “a disgusting excuse of a President” and accused the commander-in-chief of having “tiny hands.”
The tweet amassed several thousand retweets before being deleted. McDonald’s said its account was “compromised” but offered no explanation as to whether it was an internal employee that went rogue, or if the account was hacked by a third party.
The “tiny hands” insult dates back to last summer, when Republican candidate for president Marco Rubio joked that Trump had small hands for such a large person. “You know what they say about guys with tiny hands,” he said. “You can’t trust them.”
Given Trump’s track record, it’s unlikely he will let this go. He has publicly attacked numerous American companies, from Nordstrom to Boeing, and the potentially devastating effects of a negative tweet from the president have led some companies to prepare for such an event as if it were a natural disaster.
But this is different. This is McDonald’s, one of his favorite places of all. Trump, famously, is a fast food aficionado and a McDonald’s super fan. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he Instagrammed himself eating a hamburger and fries aboard his private jet.
How will the US president react to one of his favorite brands turning on him? Will he continue to eat “fish delights“? Or will he abandon the Golden Arches altogether and take his business to Wendy’s or Burger King?
Before Trump has had a chance to respond, Twitter has come out in full force, with jokes riffing on the McDonald’s tweet. Here are just a few: