"Hello, This Is the US President: Cheeseburger and Fries" Was Not a Prank Call

Biden Places Order in 'Startup Success' Promo Video
Staff: "Shocked by His Voice... Didn't Want to Mess Up the Order"
Some Criticize It as "Excessive Political Show"

U.S. President Joe Biden has attracted attention with a video showing him calling a hamburger restaurant near the White House to place an order himself.

On the 19th (local time), President Biden posted a video on Twitter saying, "To celebrate over 10 million new business registrations during my administration, I ordered a bacon cheeseburger from a local restaurant." In the video, he explained, "More than 10.4 million people have started new businesses," calling it "the most achievements in any single period in American history."

President Biden continued, "I have lunch with the Vice President about once a week, and today I’m placing an order at a local small restaurant," ordering a hamburger and fries. When he asked, "How’s business these days?" the employee who answered the phone at the hamburger shop replied, "Pretty good." After hanging up, the employee reacted, saying, "This is crazy. My hands are shaking."

In a separate statement released that day, the White House highlighted the business achievements, saying, "Small businesses are the engine of our economy and the heart of our communities," and called it "recent evidence of efforts to build our economy from the ground up to the middle." It added, "The lowest unemployment rate in history and the strongest job creation over the past two years are the reasons for economic optimism seen across the United States."

Netizens Criticize as "Artificial"... "Did Not Know He Was Calling"

President Joe Biden of the United States. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Although the video was planned to showcase President Biden’s business achievements and his down-to-earth image, netizens criticized it as "somewhat artificial." Comments on the video included sarcastic remarks such as, "This looks unbelievably real and not staged at all," and "No one does something this cringeworthy."

According to The Washington Post (WP), the employee, Brittney Spady, who works at 'Ghostburger,' said she did not know the president was calling. Josh Phillips, the founder of the restaurant, told WP, "When the call came from the White House, they wanted her to be there," and explained, "She was just told, 'An important call will come today.'"

Spady recalled that she recognized the voice before President Biden revealed his identity, saying, "When I answered the phone and heard that voice, I was shocked, thinking 'No way!'" She added, "The president definitely seemed like he wanted to have a conversation," but "I was so nervous that I focused only on taking the hamburger order correctly. I didn’t want to mess up the order."