Trump’s ‘DoorDash grandma’ had previously lobbied for the president, setting off controversy

The DoorDash delivery driver who had a turn in the national spotlight on Monday by bringing a fast-food order to Donald Trump at the White House has publicly touted the president’s so-called “no tax on tips” policy before – causing some to question the encounter’s authenticity and the company to confirm it was a stunt.

Sharon Simmons had lobbied in July 2025 in favor of the policy, which DoorDash supports, testifying in Congress that she was based in Nevada and driving for the delivery platform because her husband’s cancer treatments had made it difficult to make ends meet otherwise.

That fact drew Simmons some skepticism after she delivered a McDonald’s order to the White House on camera on Monday – along with her being described as a resident of Arkansas.

Commentary was metaphorically loud enough that DoorDash issued a statement confirming Simmons’ delivery – and a $100 tip that Trump gave her – had been arranged to celebrate the congressional law into which the “no tax on tips” policy had been enshrined a year earlier. The company also maintained that Simmons had moved from Nevada to Arkansas in late 2025 to be closer to family.

Separately, a spokesperson refuted accusations that DoorDash and the White House had somehow misled the public, though many users insinuated that the delivery had been treated as authentic in media coverage.

“No one is claiming it was a real delivery,” DoorDash’s Julian Crowley wrote on social media.

The rhetorical temperature around the scene escalated even more when the White House’s rapid response X account quoted Simmons – dubbing her the “DoorDash grandma” – as asserting that she had saved more than $11,000 in tips “by not having to claim” them on her taxes.

But the “no tax on tips” policy is only a temporary deduction of up to $25,000 in tips for eligible workers annually. Tipped workers still have to report their tips as income.

According to the Tax Policy Center, only about 2% of all households – equating to 60% of households with tipped workers – would receive a tax cut because many tipped employees already pay little to no federal income tax. The estimated average tax cut savings for those eligible employees is $1,800 a year.

The White House’s post about Simmons drew a community note saying that the amount of savings claim would not be possible under the policy.

Asked by the Guardian about the discrepancy, a DoorDash spokesperson replied that Simmons had earned $11,000 in tips in 2025 – all of which was tax-exempt thanks to the president’s policy. It is unclear, however, if Simmons earned enough money to have had to pay federal income tax on her tips, which are also still subject to Arkansas’s state income tax.

DoorDash did not comment on whether it compensates Simmons – and how much, if so – for her lobbying on behalf of the company.

The company’s statement after Monday’s White House delivery quoted Simmons as saying “the final version of no tax on tips would have looked much different without the advocacy of more than 40,000 [DoorDash drivers] who worked tirelessly to ensure independent workers were included in the final language” of the law containing the policy.

Labor advocates, however, have criticized the “no tax on tips” policy given its limited benefit and the risk it poses in expanding tips as income for low-wage workers and reducing base wages.

Other parts of the law championed by Trump that “created the tipped income deduction simultaneously enacted massive cuts to health care, energy, and food assistance programs that will cause tremendous harm for millions of low-income households, including some with tipped workers – all to finance tax cuts for the ultrawealthy,” wrote researchers with the Economic Policy Institute in a February 2026 report.

One Fair Wage’s president, Saru Jayaraman, criticized the publicity stunt and the “no tax on tips” policy as providing negligible support to workers, especially compared with wage increases.

“It’s sad, and it’s a sign of a failing society – not something to celebrate or turn into a photo op,” Jayaraman said. “The fact that a term like ‘DoorDash grandma’ even exists should be a wake-up call.

“Corporations are paying poverty wages while policymakers offer Band-Aid solutions like ‘no tax on tips’ instead of raising pay. At the same time, cuts to Medicaid and food assistance are stripping away the safety net workers rely on to get by.

“Workers don’t need gimmicks – they need living wages, corporate accountability and real economic security.”