A White House press event designed to promote Donald Trump’s “no tax on tips” policy took an awkward turn when the president abruptly shifted the conversation to transgender athletes.
The event, held on Monday 13 April, featured Arkansas DoorDash driver Sharon Simmons, who delivered a McDonald’s order to the White House as part of a media stunt intended to highlight the administration’s tax policy for tipped workers. Reuters, ABC News, and CBS News all reported that Simmons was presented as a beneficiary of the policy, which Trump has been promoting as a win for working Americans.
But while taking questions from reporters, Trump suddenly asked Simmons: “Do you think that men should play in women’s sports?” Simmons declined to take the bait, replying: “I really don’t have an opinion on that.” When Trump pressed her again, she shut the exchange down, saying: “No. I’m here about no tax on tips.” The moment was captured in multiple reports and quickly spread online.
At another point during the event, a reporter asked whether the White House was good at tipping. Trump then pulled out what appeared to be a US$100 bill and handed it to Simmons, joking: “Thank you, you reminded me.” Reuters reported that Simmons later confirmed she had indeed been tipped, though she did not publicly specify the amount.
The exchange highlighted a familiar pattern in Trump’s public appearances, where anti-trans talking points are introduced even in settings that have little to do with gender or sport. That contrast was particularly stark here because Simmons’ story was centred on financial strain. Reporting on the event noted that she has said the tax change helped her cover costs linked to her husband’s cancer treatment and broader household pressure.
Rather than joining Trump’s culture-war pivot, Simmons stayed focused on the issue she had come to discuss: tip income, cost of living and what the tax change meant for her family. In the end, that redirection became the most widely noticed part of the entire event.
