President Donald Trump recently cautioned a room of McDonald’s executives and franchise operators that they may soon find themselves pushing back against employees calling for higher pay. During a speech at the McDonald’s Impact Summit, Trump told the company’s owners they may have to “fight” against rising demands from hourly workers.
Trump tells McDonalds franchise owners "you're going to have to fight" minimum wage increases pic.twitter.com/ezQwoHWPtP
— FactPost (@factpostnews) November 17, 2025
On Monday, Trump delivered a 45-minute, largely off-the-cuff address in which he applauded McDonald’s for “slashing prices” and “bringing back Extra Value Meals,” while warning that a serious battle over wages was approaching. “Wages for hourly workers are rising at the fastest pace in 60 years, and sometimes you might say, ‘Is that good or bad?’” Trump said. “It’s great for you,” he continued, before adding, “The minimum wage thing, you’ll have to be talking about – you’re going to have to fight.”
His comments come as Americans face mounting affordability concerns, with the cost of living and everyday necessities continuing to climb. Many critics have pointed to the broad tariffs implemented in Trump’s second term, which CNN reported have functioned like a tax increase of roughly $1,200 on the average household — a figure projected to reach $1,600 next year.
Across the country, workers at numerous companies, including Starbucks, have been organizing and pushing for higher, livable wages rather than baseline minimums. Still, Trump painted a sharply different picture during his remarks, declaring that the nation is in “the golden age of America, because we are doing better than we’ve ever done as a country.”
The president spent much of the speech enthusiastically praising the fast-food giant and referring to himself as their “most loyal customer.” Speaking about the Filet-o-Fish, Trump said, “I like the fish,” making a “Kshhhhh” sound and adding, “You could do a little bit more tartar sauce, though, please.” He claimed he serves only McDonald’s aboard Air Force One and bragged about getting “Bobby Kennedy to eat a Big Mac.”
Trump: "I gave them as you know unlimited water, Biden came back with a rigged election, and he immediately restricted the water again. But I came back in and immediately unrestricted it again. So now you have unlimited water to clean your damn dishes." pic.twitter.com/iLBFw4wfns
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 17, 2025
Trump also highlighted policies he says have benefited McDonald’s operations. At one moment, he revisited his claims about water regulations, saying that after he granted the U.S. “unlimited” water in his first term, Joe Biden “came back with a rigged election, and he immediately restricted the water.” Trump added, “I came back in and immediately unrestricted it again, so now you have unlimited water to clean your damn dishes, OK? And other things. Your hands.”
