WASHINGTON — The “DoorDash Grandma” made her mark at the White House, but it wasn’t with her culinary delivery.
During her visit to drop off McDonald’s cheeseburgers and fries for the West Wing team, delivery driver Sharon Simmons found herself engaged in an unexpected conversation with President Trump. He took the opportunity to ask for her opinion on a contentious social issue.
“What are your thoughts on men participating in women’s sports?” Trump inquired of Simmons, moments after he had criticized Democrats on subjects ranging from border security to election fairness and transgender athletes.
With a quick wit, Simmons sidestepped the political landmine, saying, “I really don’t have an opinion on that.”
“Really? I think you might,” Trump teased good-naturedly, with cameras capturing the exchange.
“No, my focus is on advocating for no tax on tips,” Simmons clarified, steering the conversation back to her own agenda.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law last year, lets workers deduct up to $25,000 of qualified tips from their income taxes each year between 2025 and 2028.
That break applies to Americans with annual incomes under $150,000, but does not exempt them from payroll taxes.
When one reporter asked Simmons whether Trump is a good tipper, the president said “wait” before dipping into his pocket for a $100 bill.
“Yes, very,” she replied to the question.
Simmons, a grandmother of 10 from Arkansas, said she had started working for the delivery giant in 2022 after burning through much of her life’s savings to help pay for her husband’s cancer treatment.
Trump explained that the reason why Simmons was selected as the DoorDash driver was that he heard that she saved over $11,000 due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s provisions on trips.
“The reason for this is the fact that I heard you picked up an extra $11,000 … because the tax bill was so big, the refund was the biggest you’ve ever had. Is that correct?” the president asked.
It definitely was,” Simmons answered. “Yeah, I saved over $11,000 … It was very surprising.”
