Trump addresses ‘tacky’ DoorDash grandma stunt with 'embarrassing' confession

Donald Trump has broken his silence on the viral DoorDash grandma moment that raised eyebrows online.

For those who missed it, on Monday (13 April), videos began circulating online of the US President, 79, opening the door to a delivery driver at the Oval Office, ahead of a press conference.

The DoorDasher, Sharon Simmons, delivered two giant bags of McDonald's to the presidential building for the first time ever, and it was filmed to promote the Republican leader's initiative to end taxes on tips.

In the video, Trump opens the door and says, "Hello. Nice to see you. Look at this!" before glancing towards some nearby journalists and adding, "This doesn’t look staged, does it?"

He then told the delivery driver: "The reason for this is the fact that I heard you picked up an extra $11,000 (£8,100) because the tax bill was so big, the refund was the biggest you've ever had. Is that correct?"

To which she confirmed she did 'save over $11,000,' and Trump even handed her a $100 bill in the clip as a tip, telling her she's a 'great supporter'.

Trump desribed the DoorDash stunt as 'tacky' and 'embarrassing' (Ian Maule/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The video prompted backlash online when people realised that Sharon wasn't just a local Washington DC delivery driver but a grandmother of 10 from Arkansas, who had allegedly previously appeared in Congress to support Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill.

One social media user wrote: "Sharon Simmons is a MAGA-aligned Trump supporter. She's not just a random DoorDash driver picked for a photo op - she's been actively featured in pro-Trump events and Republican-led congressional hearings."

While another added: "Now it all makes sense, y’all. She’s a MAGA prop. Here’s DoorDash Granny at a Nevada hearing for the Big Beautiful Bill last year."

Now, Trump has addressed the viral moment, branding his own stunt as 'tacky' and 'embarrassing'.

Talking at a tax roundtable in Las Vegas on Thursday (16 April), he said: "Earlier this week at the White House, I met a wonderful woman named Sharon Simmons, a grandmother driving DoorDash to help support her husband's cancer treatments. He's got serious cancer, he's gonna be okay, I think."

Trump continued: "Sharon delivered McDonald's to the Oval Office. This was a little bit of a... I mean, to be honest, it was a little tacky.

"You know, they come up with these crazy ideas like McDonald's, although that was the biggest ever, on Google they say, number one ever, and then the garbage truck.

"I mean, we do these things in politics; they're a little embarrassing, they're a little tiny embarrassing, but we do them, and you win by landslides. So we gotta keep doing them."

Recalling how it was planned, Trump claimed that the knock on the Oval Office door was 'the first maybe in the history of the Oval Office'.

The US President said stunts like this one are 'embarrassing' but help you 'win by landslides' (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images)

He added, "There was a very beautiful woman standing there with two big bags of McDonald's hamburgers. And I say, 'Is this really believable?'

"But the point of it was, she made $11,000 that she had no idea was coming, and it turned out to be really great."

White House Spokesman Kush Desai previously told Tyla in a statement: "Sharon Simmons is one of tens of millions of Americans who are benefitting from President Trump’s signature provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts: no tax on tips, overtime, or Social Security. Every day Americans like Sharon are seeing thousands of dollars in tax relief because of the simple fact that President Trump keeps his promises."