DoorDash PR exec insisted the White House McDonald’s stunt wasn’t staged, then the internet pulled up Sharon Simmons’ Congressional testimony

President Donald Trump and the White House arranged a photo opportunity where an elderly DoorDash driver delivered McDonald’s to the Oval Office. The event was meant to mark the one-year anniversary of the “no tax on tips” policy. The driver turned out to be Sharon Simmons, a woman the internet quickly identified as someone with a well-documented history of supporting the same Republican-backed policy.

Users online found that Simmons had previously testified before Congress in support of Trump’s agenda, which sparked widespread speculation that her appearance at the White House was not coincidental. Julian Fels, a PR representative for DoorDash, jumped into the debate on social media and pushed back hard against those claims. According to Brobible, he insisted that Simmons was a “real Dasher” and that the event was not staged.

Another DoorDash public affairs official, Julian Crowley, also weighed in, stating, “No one is claiming it was a real delivery.” He added, “It was clearly and obviously a planned event to mark a new policy starting. To claim Sharon is a prop, plant or an actor is totally wrong and off base. She is a Dasher and she participated to support the policy that benefits her.”

Simmons has been a consistent face of the ‘no tax on tips’ campaign for some time now

Simmons has been a full-time DoorDash driver since 2022 and has completed more than 14,000 deliveries. The “no tax on tips” policy is directly relevant to her life, it allows her to keep roughly $11,000 in annual tips tax-free, money she uses to help cover her husband’s cancer treatments.

USA Today points out that her record of public appearances on this issue goes back further than the White House visit. In July 2025, she testified before Congress in support of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and also spoke at a separate event in Nevada on the same topic. During a Ways and Means Committee hearing, she said the bill would allow her to “stay more connected with my family” and would “help me with my future.”

This is not the first time the White House has faced scrutiny over its public messaging, the administration has also been criticized for how it handles political damage control in other situations. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., shared a video of her testimony, saying, “Her story is just one of thousands across America who are finding financial breathing room thanks to @HouseGOP.”

Just days before the April 13 White House event, she also appeared in a video shared by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., where she said, “It’s important because it is so often that independent contractors were left out so many times and so the fact that this has included us, I think it is awesome for us as delivery drivers.”

There has also been some confusion about where Simmons actually lives. Smith’s video described her as living in Missouri, while a 2025 video said she lived in Nevada. A DoorDash spokesperson clarified that she recently moved to Arkansas, which is where she was selected for the White House event. The administration has faced similar White House PR missteps drawing public backlash in recent months.

During the visit, Trump tipped Simmons $100 and asked her if she had voted for him. She responded by saying she “maybe” did. Trump then asked her opinion on transgender athletes in women’s sports, to which she replied, “I really don’t have an opinion on that. I’m here about No Tax On Tips.”

DoorDash has continued to maintain that while the event was planned, Simmons’ participation was genuine and rooted in her real experience as a driver who benefits from the policy. Still, her repeated appearances alongside Republican leaders and her Congressional testimony have made many people online question just how random her selection for the White House delivery really was.