Trump claims Google CEO Pichai called to praise his McDonald's visit

At a rally in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump claimed that Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, called to commend him following his recent visit to McDonald’s. Trump recounted Pichai allegedly saying, “Sir, I just want to tell you what you did with McDonald's was one of the single biggest events we’ve ever had at Google." Trump repeated this assertion earlier in the day on the Joe Rogan podcast, where he suggested that major tech executives and wealthy elites are trying to avoid being on his bad side as the 2024 presidential election approaches.

Trump has previously claimed similar calls from top CEOs like Tim Cook of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta (formerly Facebook), although neither Cook, Zuckerberg, nor Pichai has confirmed or denied the exchanges. This pattern of citing high-profile conversations with prominent figures is familiar for Trump, a technique that some see as self-aggrandizing or embellished, especially given the lack of confirmation. Critics argue that these statements are often exaggerated or fictionalized, while supporters view them as reflective of Trump’s influential status among major corporate leaders.