President Donald Trump served fast food to athletes visiting the White House yet again on Monday.
The president took flack for serving a huge pile of fast food take-out to the Clemson University football team in January when they visited the White House. Although the partial government shut-down is over and the kitchen staff is back in place, the president repeated his stunt on Monday when North Dakota State University’s Football team visited, according to a report by PEOPLE.
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The athletes were there to be commended for winning the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. The president welcomed them with a massive spread. The table was covered in trays with cardboard burger boxes stacked three high. Chick-Fil-A sandwichs were also laid out in piles, and ornate floral decorations sat alongside condiment packets at the center.
Reporters in the room claim that the president gave a short speech, explaining that he could have ordered food from the White House chefs, but decided not to.
“I know you people,” he reportedly said. The players laughed.
The president also treated his feast as an act of patriotism, saying: “We like American companies.”
According to a report by The Washington Post, the players went on to have a separate lunch at the Capitol after meeting with the president. He reportedly gave particular praise to Easton Stick, the team’s quarterback and its Most Outstanding Player.
“You should all be incredibly proud,” he said, adding that Stick had “the look” of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
“Somebody better draft him, he’s going to be a rich guy,” President Trump joked. Stick, in turn, presented the president with a custom jersey with the number “45” on the back.
While the president seemed to own this latest offering as a part of his personal brand — he is known for his love of fast food — his fast food feast in January was the source of a lot of mockery. At the time, the president was drawing out a government shut-down while seeking funding for his proposed border wall. He explained to CNN that he had paid for the food personally rather than rehire the furloughed White House kitchen staff.
“Because of the shutdown, you know we have the great Clemson team with us, the national champions. So we went out and we ordered American fast food, paid for by me,this link opens in a new tab” president Trump said at the time. “Lots of hamburgers, lots of pizza… We have some very large people that like eating. So I think we’re going to have a little fun.”
