Donald Trump does something different as the former president runs for the White House for the third time

As he runs for the White House for the third time, former President Donald Trump appears to be embracing a campaign tradition he most often eschews in his first two presidential campaigns: the politics of retail at Small scale.

While Trump was known for his large rallies during his successful presidential campaign in 2016 and his unsuccessful re-election bid in 2020, he rarely made short stops to speak with voters at restaurants, eateries, cafes and fast foods.

On his trip last week to Iowa — his first in the state that opens the GOP presidential nomination calendar since launching his 2024 White House campaign in mid-November — the large-scale event of Trump at the Adler Theater in Davenport and his comments targeting likely rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made headlines.

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But equally telling of his campaign was his unannounced stop before the rally at a Machine Shed restaurant, which is a popular chain in Hawkeye State, where he mingled with customers.

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Last month, after visiting the site of a train derailment in eastern Palestine, Ohio, Trump stopped at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant.

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And following his campaign kick-off event in South Carolina on January 28, the former president – whose love of fast food is well documented – surprised employees and customers by stopping at the Zesto of West Columbia, a restaurant known for its fried chicken, burgers and chocolate-dipped ice cream cones.

Trump 2024 campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News that “these types of visits get a lot of eyeballs and attention, not only from a media perspective, but also from a social media perspective. But we We’re still going to have rallies. That’s not something in a gathering place.”

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“It’s just another tool in the toolbox to get the president out and meet and interact with people face to face,” Cheung pointed out.

Trump announced this week that he would hold a large-scale rally in Waco, Texas on March 25 – and his campaign said on Saturday that any potential indictments from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office would not halt those plans. .