U.S. Sen. John Barrasso had a busy day Sunday, starting off in Casper before flying to Pittsburgh to join former President Trump at the Steelers game.
Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily he flew out to Pennsylvania to help David McCormick, the Republican challenger to three-term Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, a race that has just switched to “toss-up” by national polling firms.
After doing some campaigning for McCormick, the senator joined Trump in a suite where the former president was a guest at the football game.
“It was an astonishing, wonderful response in a state that’s a real battleground for the presidential race,” Barrasso said. “The crowd was very receptive and very positive.”
If it wasn’t for social media, specifically X (formerly known as Twitter), the public may not have been that aware as NBC made little mention of the Trump visit during its broadcast. This, in stark contrast to when pop star Taylor Swift attends an NFL game where she is shown dozens of times.
Social media users, however, posted video of the stadium chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!” when Trump was introduced by the public address announcer. C-SPAN also posted a video of it.
Barrasso said that he and Trump were able to watch some of the game, which ended well for the hometown crowd as the Steelers won 37-15 over the Jets.
McDonald’s
Earlier in the day, the former president appeared at a local McDonald’s, where he served French fries and worked in the drive-thru among other duties.
“It was terrific,” Barrasso said of the campaign appearance. “President Trump just loved being there, putting on the apron and speaking with the employees and customers.”
Tim Murtaugh, an advisor to Rep. Harriet Hageman’s campaign and now on the Trump campaign staff, called the McDonald’s appearance the “best campaign stop ever.”
“There has never been a better day of campaigning in Pennsylvania. Ever. By anyone,” Murtaugh said on X.
Oddly, the fast-food restaurant has been a point of contention between Trump and Harris. Harris said she worked there but has never provided any evidence of that — something both Trump and Barrasso mentioned.
"I've now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala at McDonald's," Trump said at the drive-thru window.
What’s Next
Barrasso said he was excited about the direction of the election as, according to national polls, the swing states have either shifted to “toss-up” or in Trump’s favor, specifically mentioning Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The senator, who is running unopposed for Senate Republican whip, said he will continue to go on the road helping in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Montana and Arizona.
He said he was bullish on all of those states delivering for Trump and felt good about the Senate races too.
“Two weeks out from the election and when people are asked if they are better off today compared to four years ago, resoundingly people say no and they want to change that,” he said.
Jimmy Orr can be reached at jimmy@cowboystatedaily.com.
