The unexpected political significance of McDonald’s McFlurry machines

There have been a few surprises in the 2024 presidential election, but one of the strangest is how often we talk about McDonald’s.

Donald Trump, for example, spent most of the campaign. obsessed Kamala Harris worked at McDonald’s when she was a student. The former president also held strange PR move in a Pennsylvania franchise. At one point a couple of weeks ago, the Republican even claimed that McDonald’s had confirmed his unproven claims about the Democratic vice president, but like many of his other claims, it wasn’t true.

But just in case that wasn’t enough, McDonald’s connection to the election added another surprise this week.

Over the weekend, Trump used his social media platform to introduce the public to a campaign promise he had not previously made. “WHEN I’M PRESIDENT, THE MCDONALD’S ICE CREAM MACHINES WILL BE WORKING GREAT AGAIN!” The Republican candidate wrote.

As it turns out, the Biden administration was ahead of him on this. How Mother Jones reportedit was Lina Khan, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, who actually did what the Republican promised.

The day before Trump’s announcement, the US Copyright Office announced a new copyright exception that would give some small business owners and franchisees (such as those who operate 13,000 McDonald’s in the US) the “right to repair” equipment in their own stores. . Back in March, the Federal Trade Commission filed a comment with the U.S. Copyright Office asking for an extension of the right to repair certain equipment, including commercial soft service equipment.

McDonald’s has been around for a long time topic for jokes because the ice cream machines in their restaurants, which make McFlurries, among other things, have a reputation for not working. The reason is a little complicated.

To briefly summarize, the machines were manufactured by Taylor, and according to the current lawOnly licensed Taylor technicians can repair them without voiding your warranty. The result was many broken machines at franchises across the country.

On NBC News’ “Today” Show explained this weekThe U.S. Copyright Office has now “granted a copyright exception that gives restaurants like McDonald’s the ‘right to repair’ broken machines by bypassing digital locks that prevent them from being fixed by anyone other than the manufacturer.”

The policy took effect Monday.

Meanwhile, it’s worth assessing the bigger picture as President Joe Biden prepares to step down.

Trump tried deliver an infrastructure package while Biden succeeded in this matter.

Trump tried push legislation to combat gun violence while Biden succeeded in this matter.

Trump said he would use Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs, and Biden succeeded in this matter.

Trump said he knows how to negotiate a series of bipartisan agreements, and Biden managed to do it.

Trump tried deliver record job growth while Biden succeeded in this matter.

And Trump has announced plans to ensure McDonald’s ice cream machines are working again, while the Biden administration has effectively made it happen.