Donald Trump’s appearance at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s Sunday was, depending on where one stands, a brilliant bit of political theater that emphasized Trump’s working man appeal, or a cynical, fake ploy, in which Trump looked ridiculous- one based on the dodgy claim that Kamala Harris lied about once working at McDonald’s.
Matt Drudge, it appears, is a believer in the latter interpretation.
Drudge, whose Drudge Report website first rose to prominence for breaking the story in 1998 about President Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky, used to be considered a solid part of the conservative media ecosystem. But in recent years, Drudge has turned sharply against Donald Trump- and that included his reaction to the McDonald’s stunt.
Drudge’s headline featured Trump, Photoshopped to look like Ronald McDonald, and the headline “McDonald: One Fry Short of Happy Meal! Felon Finds Work.” That linked to a story in Showbiz 411, which stated that “Trump Campaign Closed Down McDonald’s for Staged Fry Cook Stunt, Store Not Open Per Owner’s Letter.”
Drudge almost feels more anti-Trump than some liberal sites these days pic.twitter.com/5oO7occhkA
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) October 21, 2024
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Elsewhere on Drudge’s site are links to several stories unfavorable to Trump, such as TRUMP TALKS PENIS SIZE AT RALLY!, TOO LEWD FOR FOX… and Arnold Palmer daughter: Vulgar ramblings ‘unfortunate way to remember my dad’.
The Hill reported earlier this week about “How Matt Drudge turned on Trump.”
“Matt Drudge and Donald Trump had a major falling out prior to the 2020 election,” one “former conservative media executive familiar with the bad blood between the two” told the publication. “The Drudge grudge is not political, it is personal.”
How Matt Drudge turned on Trump https://t.co/hYfS9S5D6Z
— The Hill (@thehill) October 18, 2024
The Columbia Journalism Review had written about a Trump/Drudge falling out, as early as January of 2020. At that point, Drudge mostly hit Trump from the right, such as criticizing him for not building the border wall quickly enough.
Drudge is also known for being reclusive, and rarely appears on television or in public. He long lived in Miami, although he recently sold his “compound” there, the real estate press reported.
“The Drudge Report has lost virtually all influence on the political right,” one GOP operative said in the Hill piece. “It is no longer a factor in the conservative media ecosphere and has no sway in GOP Primaries anymore. Ironically, all the people who for decades loathed the Drudge Report are the very people keeping it afloat today.”
Photo courtesy of Political Tribune media library.
