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The unexpected political relevance of McDonald’s McFlurry machines

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2 years ago

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The unexpected political relevance of McDonald’s McFlurry machines

There have been a handful of surprises in the 2024 presidential election, but among the strangest is just how frequently we’ve ended up talking about McDonald’s.

Donald Trump, for example, spent much of the race obsessing over Kamala Harris having worked at a McDonald’s when she was a student. The former president also held a weird p.r. stunt at a franchise in Pennsylvania. At one point a couple of weeks ago, the Republican even claimed that McDonald’s had confirmed his unproven claims about the Democratic vice president, but like so many of his other claims, this wasn’t true.

But in case this weren’t quite enough, the McDonald’s/election nexus added another unexpected data point this week.

This past weekend, Trump used his social media platform to present the public with a campaign promise he hasn’t made before. “WHEN I’M PRESIDENT THE MCDONALD’S ICE CREAM MACHINES WILL WORK GREAT AGAIN!” the GOP candidate wrote.

As it turns out, the Biden administration had beaten him to it. As Mother Jones reported, it was Lina Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, who actually did what the Republican said he’d do.

The day before Trump’s proclamation, the United States Copyright Office announced a new copyright exemption that will grant some small business owners and franchisees — such as those operating the 13,000 McDonald’s in the United States — the ‘right to repair’ the machinery within their own shops. Back in March, the FTC submitted a comment to the US Copyright Office asking to extend the right to repair certain equipment, including commercial soft-serve equipment.

McDonald’s has long been the subject of jokes because their restaurants’ ice cream machines — which make McFlurries, among other things — have a reputation for not working. The reason why is a little complicated.

To summarize briefly, the machines were made by the Taylor Company, and under existing law, only licensed Taylor Company technicians could repair them without voiding the warranty. The result was a lot of broken machines at franchises across the country.

As NBC News’ “Today” explained this week, the United States Copyright Office has now “granted a copyright exemption that gives restaurants like McDonald’s the ‘right to repair’ broken machines by circumventing digital locks that prevent them from being fixed by anyone other than its manufacturer.”

The policy took effect on Monday.

The larger pattern, meanwhile, is worth appreciating as President Joe Biden prepares to retire.

Trump tried to deliver an infrastructure package, while Biden succeeded on the issue.

Trump tried to advance legislation to address gun violence, while Biden succeeded on the issue.

Trump said he’d use Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs, while Biden succeeded on the issue.

Trump said he knew how to negotiate a series of bipartisan deals, while Biden succeeded in doing so.

Trump tried to deliver record job growth, while Biden succeeded on the issue.

And Trump announced plans to make sure McDonald’s ice cream machines work again, while the Biden administration actually made it happen.

Steve Benen

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an BLN political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”

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Trump-backed Jay Feely wins GOP primary in Arizona’s battleground 1st District

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17 minutes ago

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July 22, 2026

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Former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely cruised to victory in Arizona’s 1st District on Tuesday, one of the nation’s most competitive battlegrounds.

Feely, a close ally of President Donald Trump, leveraged Trump’s endorsement to topple former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik.

He’ll face a steep challenge defeating the Democratic nominee in November: The 1st District, which spans the affluent suburbs north of Phoenix, is one of House Democrats’ top targets after Trump won it by just three points in 2024. Feely is looking to keep the seat under GOP control amid a midterm year that presents major headwinds for the party.

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Rep. Andy Biggs wins GOP primary for Arizona governor

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17 minutes ago

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July 22, 2026

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Trump-endorsed Rep. Andy Biggs has won the GOP primary to face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in November, setting up a marquee governor’s race in one of America’s most competitive states.

Biggs, a former chair of the hardline House Freedom Caucus and a close ally of President Donald Trump, easily dealt with his only serious challenger, Rep. David Schweikert, on Tuesday. Before the primary results were official, he had already begun pivoting to the general election against Hobbs, who is seen as one of the most vulnerable Democratic governors this fall.

Republicans feel bullish about their odds of flipping the governorship, after Trump carried the state by five points in 2024. But even though Trump won last time, the state has gradually shifted to pure tossup territory over the past few years, electing Democrats to both Senate seats, as well as the attorney general and secretary of state’s offices.

Hobbs had already shifted her focus to Biggs as well. Her campaign has amassed a significant warchest for the race and has already started running ads. Biggs, given his lack of a significant primary challenge, has been able to hold onto more cash than his GOP rivals, but is still behind Hobbs.

The race will test whether Republicans, who are starting down a potentially bruising midterm cycle, can reclaim the top office of a state that has long been a place of success for the party.

During the Republican primary debate, Biggs spent more time talking about his working relationship with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly than he did flexing his endorsement from Trump or highlighting his House record, including his time atop the Freedom Caucus. Instead, he tried to refocus on his bipartisanship in Congress and his leadership in the state legislature.

“I know how to reach across the aisle,” Biggs said during the debate.

But he will still have to contend with many of his past stances, including his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election.

And Hobbs is already working to ensure voters know where Biggs stands on key issues as a longtime member of the House, including his anti-abortion positions and his role in 2020. Her campaign has repeatedly attacked him as “too extreme” for the state and has dubbed him “basement Biggs” for keeping a relatively low profile throughout the GOP primary.

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Trump-backed Mark Lamb wins Arizona House primary despite sex scandals

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July 22, 2026

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A scandal-plagued House candidate powered by President Donald Trump’s endorsement won a messy primary Tuesday.

Mark Lamb, the former Pinal County sheriff, overcame a late push from self-funding candidate Daniel Keenan in Arizona’s 5th District. Lamb will enter November as the heavy frontrunner in the deep-red Phoenix-area district to replace Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who is running for governor.

Keenan had poured nearly $2 million of his own cash into the campaign and attempted to make Lamb’s alleged sexual misconduct and abuse of power central to the race. Lamb has denied the allegations.

But Lamb — bolstered by Trump and Arizona-based Turning Point USA — managed to ward off the attacks.

The race’s outcome reveals the strength of Trump’s endorsement, and it’s the latest example of how willing GOP primary voters have been to accept scandal-ridden candidates favored by the president.

Lamb, who served as sheriff until 2024, earned national notoriety as a gun-toting critic of the Biden administration’s immigration and border policy. He secured Trump’s backing for the 5th District contest last year.

Then in May, the Arizona Republic launched a multi-part investigation alleging that Lamb engaged in a yearslong pattern of sending sexual images and instigating intimate encounters between him, his wife and others. One woman involved, Jillian Stannard, accused Lamb of encouraging her husband to have sex with other women, including Lamb’s wife. She also alleged that Lamb threatened her, saying there would be consequences, when Stannard raised concerns to religious leaders.

Screenshots the Republic obtained of messages with another woman, Tammy Peacock, suggest Lamb — then a sitting county sheriff — threatened to leverage Arizona’s revenge porn law against her.

In a statement last week, Lamb spokesperson Ed Morabito told Blue Light News that “these allegations are false and come from long-discredited political opponents.”

Lamb did not lose any significant endorsements in the wake of the scandals — Trump reinforced his endorsement in mid-July — even as Keenan made the allegations central to his campaign.

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