Trump Took a Turn at the Fryer. McDonald’s Workers Have Thoughts.

Donald J. Trump was “lovin’ it”: a photo op on Sunday at a McDonald’s in Bucks County, Pa., in one of the country’s tightest battleground states for the presidential election. He served generously salted French fries to hand-chosen patrons and held court for the cameras.

Several actual McDonald’s workers, examining video of Mr. Trump’s performance a day later, were less enthused.

“He doesn’t seem to know how to do it,” said David Ye, 22, an employee at a McDonald’s on Canal Street in Lower Manhattan, as he watched footage of Mr. Trump negotiating the fryer.

“The box is, like, backwards,” he said, perplexed, as the former president shoveled a scoopful of fries the wrong way into the iconic red carton.

Along with diners and state fairs, McDonald’s has long been a touchstone for presidential hopefuls looking to tap into a working-class vision of Americana. It is also one of Mr. Trump’s favorite restaurants, a fact he has used to try to cultivate a down-to-earth image with voters, despite his vast wealth.

But his performance behind the counter this weekend — a half-hour stop at a franchise that closed for the occasion in Feasterville, Pa. — has earned mixed reviews from workers and patrons alike.