Well, isn’t this interesting? Just days after Donald Trump made headlines for working the drive-thru at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, an E. coli outbreak tied to the chain’s Quarter Pounder has now come to light.
The timing couldn’t be more curious, as McDonald’s shares tumbled in premarket trading following reports that the outbreak has led to 10 hospitalizations and, tragically, one death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that 49 cases have been reported in 10 states between late September and mid-October, with most illnesses cropping up in Colorado and Nebraska. And get this—many of the affected people had, of course, eaten a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder.
You’re telling me the CDC announced an E.Coli outbreak at McDonald’s just hours after Trump served fries there and it’s not a political hit job?
This is how Communists work
They punish dissidents https://t.co/EckYIP2A2E
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) October 22, 2024
McDonald’s is scrambling to contain the fallout, announcing it’s taking “swift and decisive action.” According to their statement, the source of the contamination seems to be slivered onions used specifically in the Quarter Pounder, sourced from a single supplier. McDonald’s has since pulled the offending onions and halted distribution in several Western states, including Colorado, Utah, and Kansas. So, no Quarter Pounders for those states for a while, though McDonald’s assures the rest of the menu, including Big Macs and cheeseburgers, is perfectly safe. Convenient, right?
But what’s really raising eyebrows is the timing. Trump’s recent McDonald’s visit, where he dished out fries and worked the drive-thru for the day, was all over the news. The media had a field day, with liberals mocking the “staged” event while Trump supporters rallied behind him. Now, just days later, McDonald’s is facing a food safety crisis tied to one of its most popular items. Coincidence? Maybe. But the optics here are definitely strange.
🚨 NEW: TRUMP WORKS THE DRIVE THROUGH AT MCDONALDS ‼️😂💀 pic.twitter.com/0wWDwSOZuj
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) October 20, 2024
Of course, this isn’t the first time McDonald’s has had an E. coli problem. In 2022, a group of kids in Alabama got sick from Chicken McNuggets Happy Meals, and now we’ve got this outbreak tied to the Quarter Pounder. The CDC even hinted that the reported number of cases—currently at 49—could be just the tip of the iceberg. With many people recovering from E. coli without seeking medical care, it’s possible the real number of affected customers is much higher.
🔴⚡The timing of this is amazing!
The CDC floods the media with news of a new pandemic at McDonald’s, right after Trump worked a shift there. It seems like they want to denigrate McDonald’s because it helped boost Trump’s poll numbers. pic.twitter.com/2PbZpUcrwr
— Ivan 👑 (@IvanSoto1776) October 23, 2024
And let’s not forget McDonald’s fresh beef rollout in 2018, which was supposed to revolutionize the Quarter Pounder. Well, it’s certainly making headlines now, though not for the reasons they’d hoped. McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger is in full damage control mode, promising customers that they’re working to resolve the issue and return the Quarter Pounder to menus as soon as possible. But between Trump’s highly publicized McDonald’s visit and now this outbreak, you’ve got to wonder—what are the odds?
