Fact check: Restaurant chains don't directly donate to Trump's reelection campaign
Corrections & clarifications: This story has been updated to reflect White Castle’s donations, which were changed due to a coding error in data provided.
The claim: Fast food chains are donating to Trump's re-election
As the U.S. gets closer to the November election, claims regarding both President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden are ramping up.
Fundraising and donations are a critical component of political campaigns.
Posts on social media have circulated with long lists of companies that purportedly have donated to the Trump reelection campaign.
One post claims that In-N-Out, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Waffle House, Carl's Jr., White Castle, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald's, KFC, Olive Garden, IHOP and Papa John's all support Trump's re-election campaign. Other similar posts include some of these companies, as well.
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What campaign donation records show
According to the Federal Election Commission, corporations themselves cannot donate directly to candidates, but they are able to make donations to and establish political action committees, and make donations to other outside groups.
Campaign donations tracked by OpenSecrets show fast-food chains donating millions of dollars in the 2020 election cycle.
These figures constitute all donations associated with an employer. That includes donations to PACs and outside groups from the corporation and from unions; and donations to campaigns from individuals like owners and employees, along with those individuals' immediate family members.
A previous fact check looked at this claim regarding Wendy's, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and found it to be false.
For the other restaurants, these are campaign donations associated with fast-food chains in the 2020 election cycle, as tracked by OpenSecrets, as of June 15:
In-N-Out: CEO Mark Taylor and his wife, Traci Taylor, have donated more than $15,000 to Trump and the Republican Party since 2016. Individuals affiliated with the company have donated a total of $11,584 to Republicans and Democrats in the 2020 election cycle, with $281 going to Trump.
Waffle House: The restaurant's affiliates have donated over $118,000 in the 2020 election cycle. The majority of the donations affiliated with Waffle House have gone to Republicans, including $924 to Trump, but more Democratic presidential candidates received donations. Most of the donations are in support of Republican U.S. Senate candidates.
Carl's Jr: Carl's Jr. is owned by parent company CKE Restaurants. OpenSecrets records show that CKE and its affiliates have not made any direct contributions to federal candidates in the 2020 election cycle. They have donated $44,400 to the Republican National Committee.
White Castle: PACs and individual contributions affiliated with the company total $23,557 in the 2020 election cycle. On June 2, White Castle denied claims that the company has donated to presidential candidates.
Chick-fil-A: OpenSecrets shows that groups and people affiliated with Chick-fil-A have donated $79,844 in the 2020 election cycle. The donations went to both Democrats and Republicans, with Trump receiving $8,955 from individuals affiliated with Chick-fil-A. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders received the most of any candidate.
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McDonald's: McDonald's made a statement on Twitter June 4 saying, "McDonald's does not contribute to presidential candidates." McDonald's affiliated contributions for the 2020 election cycle total $778,717. Trump has received $17,172 from individuals affiliated with McDonald's, while Sanders received $51,145.
KFC: KFC is owned by Yum! Brands, and affiliates of that company have donated $217,566 to federal candidates, according to OpenSecrets. Trump has received $16,869, while Sanders received $57,115. Affiliates of the Association of KFC Franchisees have contributed $68,000, mostly to Republicans, in the 2020 election cycle. Trump has not received donations from KFC franchise affiliates.
Olive Garden: In late May, Olive Garden faced criticism when the company was accused of donating to Trump's re-election campaign. The restaurant denied the claim. Darden, Olive Garden's parent company, has not donated. However, affiliates of the company have contributed $85,051 in the 2020 election cycle, with the large majority going to Democratic candidates. Trump has received $860.
IHOP: In August, IHOP told PolitiFact, "We're about pancakes, not politics. IHOP as a brand is not involved in providing financial support to either side of the aisle." Some independent operators of IHOP locations donate to the Pancake PAC, which is unaffiliated and has not made any contributions to federal candidates in the 2020 cycle. Dine Brands Global, formerly known as Dine Equity, owns IHOP. Its affiliates have donated $4,814 in the 2020 cycle, with the majority of donations going to Bernie Sanders and $226 going to Trump.
Papa John's: The company itself has not donated. OpenSecrets records show that affiliates of Papa John's have donated $55,932 in the 2020 election cycle. Trump received $2,486 in contributions. Sanders had the most contributions.
Our rating: Partly false
Claims that fast-food chains have donated to presidential campaigns are PARTLY FALSE. According to the Federal Elections Commission, corporations are unable to donate to political campaigns. However, affiliates of the companies — including CEOs, employees, unions and PACs — can. Some of the restaurants in question do have affiliates that have donated to President Donald Trump and other Republican efforts, but the restaurants themselves have not. In several cases, the affiliates donated more to former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders than to Trump.
Our fact-check sources:
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Restaurant chains don't directly donate to Trump campaign
