WATCH: CNN Heaps Praise On Trump For ‘Insanely Smart’ McDonald’s Visit

CNN’s morning crew unexpectedly praised Donald Trump after footage surfaced of the former president working the drive-thru at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s. The segment featured CNN’s Kasie Hunt and political commentator Kristen Soltis Anderson, who had surprising reactions to Trump’s unconventional move.

Kasie Hunt kicked off the discussion, admitting that the image of Trump taking orders from a McDonald’s window left her in disbelief. “I have to say, when I first saw that image of Trump kind of hanging out the drive-thru window, a part of me thought, wow, is that real? I never thought he would do something like that,” Hunt said.

She compared it to an older version of Trump from a 1999 ad campaign, describing the previous version as a businessman intent on “running the town,” rather than working the front lines of fast food. “I mean, clearly they have a strategy to try to appeal to working-class voters, try to, you know, twist the knife on Harris,” she explained, acknowledging that the visual was “jarring” for her.

Kristen Soltis Anderson echoed Hunt’s surprise but called it a “smart move” by Trump. “Well, part of what is so striking about them is that he’s not trying to not be Donald Trump,” Anderson said. “He’s still got the red tie. He’s still so clearly himself. One thing that has differentiated Donald Trump from other really wealthy politicians is that he has never been seen as the aloof billionaire who would never deign to hang out with the commoners,” she explained.

WATCH:

“He has always sort of portrayed himself as ‘I’m the rich guy who doesn’t really like the other rich guys. I’m one of you and this is part of it.’” Anderson called Trump’s fast-food appearance “insanely smart,” reinforcing the notion that the former president’s tactics may continue to resonate with everyday Americans.

The former president took a short break from campaigning on Sunday to work a shift at a McDonald’s location in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Vice President Kamala Harris has stated that she worked at McDonald’s while working her way through college, a claim Trump has disputed.

“We don’t want to hear fake promises, even something like she worked very long and hard hours over french fries at McDonalds,” Trump said during a late September rally in North Carolina. “She never worked at McDonald’s. It’s a fake story.”

Trump made good on his promise when he traveled to a McDonald’s location in Feasterville, Pennsylvania. Thousands of people were lined up outside the restaurant ahead of the former president’s arrival, who traded in his coat for a McDonald’s apron after introducing himself to workers.

Once his shift started, an employee directed the former president to the kitchen, where he proceeded to explain the process behind making the fast food chain’s signature french fries. Trump could be seen grasping a basket of fries and proceeding to slowly dip them into the fry cooker, following the employee’s instructions along the way.

“I’m gonna give them extra salt,” the former president joked. After cooking several orders of fries, Trump moved on to the serving portion of his shift and proceeded to jam a massive serving of fries into a container. “I’m gonna do a really big one,” the Republican nominee declared. The former president also spent some time working the drive-thru.

“Do you believe this? Look at this guy, he’s a MAGA guy,” Trump said before serving up his first order. “This is not a normal situation,” he added before shaking hands with the customers and complimenting the driver on a “beautiful family.” The next customer was also a Trump supporter, saying “45 and 47” before shaking the former president’s hand. Another customer thanked him for “taking a bullet for us.”

“I’m going because she lied,” Trump told Fox News when asked about the McDonald’s visit. Trump wrapped up his busy weekend in Pennsylvania by attending the primetime NFL matchup between the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

(VOTE: Should JD Vance Run For President In 2028?)