California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office has leveraged a recent White House publicity stunt involving DoorDash to underscore a striking political irony. The team mocked former President Donald Trump, highlighting that while he currently holds the highest office in the United States, his status as a convicted felon would likely disqualify him from working as a delivery driver for popular apps like DoorDash.
Social Media Jab Follows Oval Office Delivery
This pointed criticism emerged on social media late Monday night, directly after a widely publicised event where DoorDash "grandma" Sharon Simmons delivered two large bags of McDonald's directly to Donald Trump at the front door of the Oval Office. The delivery was part of a staged promotion to tout Trump's policy move to eliminate taxes on tipped wages, which was enacted into law last year.
"Donald Trump — a convicted felon who has also been found liable for sexual abuse — is ineligible to be a delivery driver on most apps," the official press office X account for Governor Newsom quipped. "But somehow he's our president."
Background Checks and Legal Convictions
The jab carries significant weight due to standard industry practices. DoorDash, like many gig economy platforms, conducts thorough background checks during the onboarding process for its delivery drivers. Serious or violent felony convictions, alongside fraud-related offenses, typically result in automatic disqualification from such roles.
Trump's legal history provides the foundation for this critique. In May 2023, a jury found him liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil trial. Furthermore, his New York hush money case culminated in a conviction on 34 separate felony counts. Although Trump's legal team is actively appealing these verdicts and attempted to have the hush money conviction dismissed in February, the convictions currently stand.
Political Context and 2028 Speculation
The incident occurs within a charged political atmosphere. Gavin Newsom is widely regarded as a leading contender for the Democratic nomination in the 2028 presidential election. When questioned last autumn about a potential run after the 2026 midterms, Newsom acknowledged he would "be lying" if he said he wasn't considering it, though he has recently stated he has not yet made a final decision.
This social media critique, therefore, serves a dual purpose: highlighting a perceived hypocrisy in Trump's eligibility and subtly positioning Newsom as a vocal opposition figure on the national stage.
The Stunt and Subsequent Press Conference
Monday's delivery event was orchestrated to promote Trump's successful initiative to end taxes on tipped wages, a policy he championed during the 2024 election and which was passed as part of the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" last year. During the encounter, Trump kept the delivery driver, Sharon Simmons, at his side as she endorsed the no-tax-on-tips measure.
The delivery quickly escalated into a full press conference. Standing beside Simmons in her red DoorDash polo shirt, Trump addressed reporters on a range of issues, issuing new threats against Iran and even commenting on his conflicts with the Pope.
The questioning took a surreal turn when a reporter inquired about an AI-generated image Trump had posted and subsequently deleted, which depicted him as Jesus Christ. Trump claimed the image was supposed to represent him "as a doctor, making people better," a post that had drawn criticism from some conservative and Christian circles.
This episode, blending fast-food delivery with high-stakes politics and legal controversy, encapsulates the unconventional nature of modern political discourse, where a gig economy app becomes a backdrop for debates about presidential fitness and felony status.
