The McDonald's Menu Item Donald Trump Says Could Use More Sauce

From President Donald Trump's standard Mickey D's order alone — two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a large chocolate shake — it's obvious he's a real Golden Arches enthusiast. While the nutritional quality of Trump's eating habits might be questionable, Trump has been eating at the fast food chain for years. There are many reported reasons for Trump's loyalty to McDonald's, from fear of poisoning to germaphobia, but whatever the logic, the president displays an impressive level of commitment to the largest fast food restaurant in the U.S. — and he has thoughts on the Filet-O-Fish.

It's no surprise that the president stayed true to form when he spoke for almost an hour at the annual McDonald's Impact Summit, describing himself by saying, "I'm also one of your all-time most loyal customers." He followed this up by framing the restaurant as an American icon as important as the U.S. flag, proposing, "McDonald's is recognized all over the world, as widely as, frankly, the Stars and Stripes themselves." But it wasn't all praise. Toward the end of his speech, the Commander in Chief complained about his beloved Filet-O-Fish.

First clarifying that he likes the burger, Trump added, "You could do a little bit more tartar sauce," before declaring that he hates when he has to ask for more of the tangy condiment. First launched in 1962 as a franchise item, the Filet-O-Fish was added to the standard McDonald's menu in 1965. Despite suspicions about shrinkflation, the fish sandwich reportedly hasn't changed in decades. Since Trump didn't mention the lack of sauce as a new development, it might be something he's been irritated by for years, finally finding the perfect platform to complain to the right people when he spoke at the McDonald's Impact Summit.

Social media responses to Donald Trump's notes on the Filet-O-Fish ranged from enthusiastic agreement to straight up confusion. On a Facebook post, one commenter argued, "The tartar sauce is usually dripping out of it. How much more do you want!" On the other side of the debate entirely, another user declared, "President Trump, that's exactly the way I like mine. The fish sandwich with extra tartar sauce. Get a tomato and lettuce. You have yourself a balanced meal."

Moving away from the specifics of the sauce conversation, users on both TikTok and Facebook suggested that the president seemed to be delivering a McDonald's ad, although his negativity about the usual filet-to-sauce ratio pokes holes in this theory. Perhaps more pertinently, many commenters on TikTok were also angry that the President was discussing tartar sauce instead of the economy or cost of living. One TikToker quipped, "Thank you for speaking about McDonald's and not the economic debt we're in." 

Though it was the most widely shared clip of the speech, Trump's tartar sauce cul-de-sac was in fact one of many seemingly spontaneous sidebars from a speech highlighting the success of McDonalds and the American economy in general; still, that wasn't enough for many. As Wendy's closes hundreds of locations, and Outback Steakhouse suddenly shutters several restaurants, people probably want confident reassurance — rather than condiment reviews — from President Trump.