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Not everyone enjoys sampling the local cuisine when visiting another country – but US president Donald Trump has taken things to a new level.
During his state visit to Saudi Arabia, his first since re-entering the White House in January, Trump has been followed around by a portable McDonald’s.
A White House official confirmed a mobile McDonald’s food truck has been brought in to Riyadh during the president’s visit.
The US president began his four-day Middle East trip on Tuesday, as Air Force One was escorted by Saudi Air Force jets, his motorcade flanked by white Arabian horses carrying US and Saudi flags, and Prince Mohammed rolled out the lavender carpet for him.
The US president returned the favour by fawning over the crown prince throughout his speech at the Saudi-US investment forum at the The King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh.
After standing before the crowd as ‘God Bless the USA’ by Lee Greenwald played, Trump began praising the kingdom and its de facto ruler.
‘What a great place, but more importantly what great people,’ said Trump, adding of the crown prince, ‘We talk about a great man, that is a great man, a great family.’
Trump struck his familiar note of boasting about the US and its position in the world – but held back in a way he had not before.
‘We are rocking: The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country, I have to say, right?’ he said, pointing to the crown prince.
Elon Musk is also in attendance, and Trump raised eyebrows when he pulled the tech tycoon in for a forceful handshake during the visit.
However it’s not known if Mr Musk has also enjoyed meals from the portable McDonald’s following Trump around.
Trump is a big fan of fast food from the golden arches, having offered a buffet of fast food options when he welcomed national college football champions the Clemson Tigers to the White House in 2019.
He also requested McDonald’s after his recovery from coronavirus in 2020, according to his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and during his 2016 presidential campaign, his former bodyguard said Egg McMuffins were his breakfast of choice.
What’s on the menu at the portable McDonald’s?
A spokesperson for McDonald’s Riyadh told Metro: ‘The menu offered at the portable McDonald’s in Riyadh during the mentioned occasion was our standard McDonald’s menu, which includes the classic items available at our regular branches across the Kingdom.’
But what options did Trump have when visiting the mobile fast food branch?
Each country offers slightly different meals compared to those we’d be used to in the UK or US, and Riyadh is no exception.
You won’t find any Bacon McMuffins on the menu, for example, as eating pork is forbidden in Islam – and the other meat on offer is Halal certified.
One option on the menu is the Big Tasty Mushroom, described as ‘a 100% beef patty, Mushroom, Emmental cheese, juicy tomatoes and a unique smoky flavored sauce all nested in a freshly toasted bun’.
There’s also the Chicken McArabia, offering ‘two Halal grilled chicken patties with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and flavorful garlic sauce held together by Arabic bread’.
There are also Zatar Croissants, the McArabia Kofta, and KitKat Doughnuts on the menu.
His love for the fast food was made even clearer during his 2024 presidential campaign, where he put on a McDonald’s apron and put in a shift at a branch in Pennsylvania.
Trump said ‘hello, everybody. It’s my first day at McDonald’s. I’m looking for a job,’ as he entered the branch in Feasterville-Trevose, near Philadelphia, last October.
He worked at the fryer and also at the drive-thru window, telling hungry customers he would make the US ‘better than ever’ if he was re-elected.
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