Riding the wake of Clemson’s 44-16 massacre of Alabama in the College Football National Championship, the team was invited to the traditional meeting at the White House with President Trump. Alongside this, the team was promised a dinner to celebrate its championship. One could come to expect the meal served by the White House kitchen staff to be top notch for a team so worthy of the meal.
Lest we forget, we are three and a half weeks deep into a government shutdown. With the “non-essential” employees of the government on furlough, there is a distinct lack of chefs in D.C. to prepare feast fit for champions. Compensating for this, and with money from his own pocket, President Trump decides to bring in food from the finest eating establishments for hungry college athletes everywhere: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Domino’s.
To be fair, it is 2 for $5 at McDonald’s right now.
To be fair, Matt Bockhorst was lovin’ it. But Clemson deserved a better meal than what they could’ve gotten at 2 a.m. on a Thursday night. Washington Post estimated that the entire meal cost Trump in the ballpark of $2,437.11 and $2,911.44. In terms of how far along we are in the shutdown and that the dinner has been a White House tradition for years means Trump can’t fall back on an excuse of short notice. Not to mention he’s got the money to spare.
Despite how minor this dinner was, the incident reflects the larger situation of the government shutdown. Clemson played the part of the average Americans, screwed over by the President and Democrats refusing to sacrifice their pride for the sake of the people that rely on them. The kitchen staff, of course, play themselves and all other federal employees left out in the cold during this pain-staking display of Washington’s ego.
Ultimately, we come to the stars of this horror show, Congress and Trump. We’re no closer to finding a solution to the shutdown than we were on December 22nd. The Democrats are refusing meetings at the White House, and Trump has stuck to his typical Twitter rantings when situations like this pop up. Neither side is willing to give an inch to the other, and caught in the middle are the players on the Clemson football team.
Jack Gleckler is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What do you think? Tell Jack by tweeting him at @thejackgleckler.
