Politics
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 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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