Fans of Donald Trump are suggesting a reported E Coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s is a conspiracy against the former president.
On Tuesday it was revealed that one person has died and dozens more became sick amid a bacterial outbreak linked to the quarter pounder at McDonald’s franchises in multiple states.
Now, the MAGA faithful are suggesting the outbreak was a deliberate attempt to sabotage Trump’s Sunday campaign appearance manning the fry cooker at a Pennsylvania Mickey D’s.
‘Totally not suspicious,’ wrote one pro-Trump account on X Tuesday.
Another exclaimed: ‘Give me a break! The timing on this is so ridiculously obvious!’
Fans of Donald Trump are suggesting the E Coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s is a conspiracy theory against the former president after his Sunday spent manning the fry cooker at a Pennsylvania Mickey D’s
Still one more added: ‘Ha! Right on cue!’
Those on the opposing side saw the funny aspect, with many quote-tweeting the news with photos of Trump holding a bag of fries.
Still others wondered if it was the revenge of McDonald’s character Grimace, who has served as an ersatz mascot for the recently eliminated New York Mets of Major League Baseball.
Trump got behind the fryer at a McDonald’s in the Philadelphia suburbs and manned the drive-thru counter yesterday in a bid to undermine Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
‘I’ve now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala,’ Trump said after working at the fast food restaurant, revisiting his claim that his rival didn’t work at McDonald’s as a college student as she says she did.
Harris, 60, throughout her campaign has touted how she worked at a California branch of the fast food franchise, although her camp hasn’t furnished any photos of her youthful job there. Trump claims that Harris is ‘lying’ and never worked at the restaurant, but has not provided any evidence to back that up.
Video captured from within the kitchen on Sunday showed Trump, 78, passing out orders to a group of grateful prearranged ‘customers’ – Trump supporters understood to have been pre-selected by his camp – who were were to see the ex-president serving their food and told him why they’ll be supporting him in the election next month.
One man, apparently accompanied by his wife, told Trump, 78, ‘you are the type of person we want to be the president’, after thanking him for ‘everything you’re doing.’ His passenger added: ‘Thank you for taking the bullet for us.’
Trump got behind the fryer at a McDonald’s in the Philadelphia suburbs and manned the drive-thru counter yesterday in a bid to undermine Democratic nominee Kamala Harris
The CDC said Tuesday that 49 people in 10 states have been sickened from the same strain of the deadly bacteria that kills up to one in five sufferers.
Ten of the patients have been hospitalized, including a child who sufferered life-threatening kidney damage from the infection. The only fatality was an elderly man in Colorado.
All affected patients had eaten at McDonald’s before getting sick, and most of them specifically mentioned ordering the chain’s popular Quarter Pounder burger.
Investigators believe the affected ingredient is either slivered onions or the beef patty. McDonald’s has removed both items from stores affected states while the investigation continues.
The chain said its Quarter Pounders – bought by 110,000 Americans in the US every day – may be temporarily unavailable in some states.
Those on the opposing side saw the funny aspect, with many quote-tweeting the news with photos of Trump holding a bag of fries. Still others wondered if it was the revenge of Grimace, who has served as an ersatz mascot for the recently eliminated New York Mets
Quarter Pounder beef patties are only used on the chain’s Quarter Pounder, while the onions ‘are primarily used on Quarter Pounder hamburgers and not other menu items,’ the CDC said.
No additional details have been released about the Colorado man.
The hospitalized child is suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of E Coli that can occur when small blood vessels become damaged and inflamed.
This damage can cause clots to form in the vessels all through the body. The clots can damage the kidneys and other organs. HUS can lead to kidney failure, which can be life-threatening.
The first reported illness happened on September 29, with the last reported illness on October 11, according to the CDC.
The agency said it usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
The CDC reported that most people Colorado (27) or Nebraska (9).
Additionally, people in Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Montana and Oregon have all reported cases, though it’s unclear how many were in each of those states.
McDonald’s North America Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Piña said initial findings from the CDC investigation indicate the outbreak may be linked to onions sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers.
Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E.coli include severe diarrhea and vomiting
He said: ‘As a result, and in line with our safety protocols, all local restaurants have been instructed to remove this product from their supply and we have paused the distribution of all slivered onions in the impacted area.’
He added that McDonald’s was temporarily removing the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in the impacted area, including Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
He added’: ‘We take food safety extremely seriously and it’s the right thing to do. Impacted restaurants are receiving a stock recovery notice today and should reach out to their field supply chain manager or distribution center with any questions.’
He assured buyers all other menu items were unaffected and available.
E. coli are bacteria typically found in the intestines of animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, and deer.
While most are harmless, some can cause a host of gastrointestinal symptoms, including stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting.
The bacteria can be found in food and water contaminated by feces from infected animals.
E coli infection sickens about 95,000 Americans per year and kills around 17 to 20 percent.
Young children and elderly adults are at the greatest risk of dying from E coli due to having naturally weakened immune systems.
Symptoms include diarrhea, a fever above 102 F, vomiting, and signs of dehydration like not peeing or dry mouth, the CDC said.
The patients in the current outbreak were infected with strain O157:H7, the most common strain in humans that has been shown to cause severe intestinal infections.
Officials have not yet traced the source of the outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC), a rare strain of the diarrhoea-causing bug. But they believe it is linked to a ‘nationally distributed food item’ or ‘multiple food items’
The CDC said that anyone who has severe E coli symptoms after eating a Quarter Pounder at McDonald’s should seek medical help and tell the provider what they ate.
HUS, which caused the child to be hospitalized, affects about 200 to 300 Americans per year and kills less than one in 20 of those.
Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, and vomiting. Symptoms usually start three to four days after swallowing the bacteria, and most people recover without treatment after five to seven days.
