Trump hands out french fries in Pennsylvania

With the US presidential election just over two weeks away, Democrat Kamala Harris visited two churches on Sunday while her Republican rival, Donald Trump, visited another kind of American temple: a McDonald's, where he again accused Harris of lying about having previously worked at the fast-food chain.

Both candidates were scrambling for votes in the most competitive states, with Harris, the US vice president, appealing to early voters in Georgia and Trump, the former president, campaigning in Pennsylvania ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

At a McDonald's in suburban Philadelphia, Trump removed his suit jacket, put on a black and yellow apron and cooked batches of french fries, something he said he had wanted to do "all my life."

The former president dipped wire baskets of potatoes in sizzling oil before salting them and handing them out to some of his supporters through the drive-through window of the restaurant, which had been closed to the general public. Thousands of people lined the street opposite the restaurant to watch.

Donald Trump serves food at a McDonalds restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. Reuters

"I like this job," said Trump, whose adoration for fast food has been well chronicled. "I'm having a lot of fun here."

Trump has said the McDonald's visit was intended in part as a jab at Harris, who says she worked at the fast-food chain during her college years in California. Trump claims Harris never worked there but has provided no evidence to back that up.

Harris spokesperson Ian Sams said the stunt was a sign of the real-estate mogul's desperation.

"All he knows how to do is lie," he said. "He can't understand what it's like to have a summer job because he was handed millions on a silver platter, only to blow it."

The Harris campaign said Trump's visit also belied his opposition to an increase in the federal minimum wage and his support for a rule that could make it more difficult for workers to win legal claims against the parent company if a franchise owner violated minimum-wage and overtime laws.

Reuters