Casey sent a letter to McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski on Monday, accusing the company of price gouging. With the charge coming a day after Trump’s visit to the franchise, McCormick expressed concern that the Democratic senator had written the letter “simply because he doesn’t like” the former president. 

“Bob Casey is desperate, so now he’s stooped to a new low attacking the local Feasterville McDonald’s franchise. Casey has a pattern of attacking PA small businesses. He’s been in DC so long that he’s forgotten the Pennsylvania way of hard work and success,” McCormick said in a post to X on Wednesday. 

The Pennsylvania Republican continued to assert Casey had “stooped to a new low by retaliating against” the company after Trump’s “wildly popular visit to the local Feasterville McDonald’s franchise,” per further comments to Fox News. 

Casey’s letter to the McDonald’s chief complained that the world’s largest fast-food chain’s operating profits were too high, alleged it had raised food prices at a faster rate than inflation has increased, and accused it of running on corporate greed. 

“While McDonald’s is not the only fast food restaurant that has increased prices significantly in recent years, its dominant market position as the largest fast food chain in the United States has an outsize impact on American consumers. While working families are trying to make ends meet, McDonald’s and its corporate counterparts have continued to grow their profits,” Casey wrote, along with his Democratic colleagues Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). 

Casey has long argued that big corporations are responsible for the high prices consumers are facing, saying they are taking advantage of customers and fueling “greedflation.” 

“Sen. Casey will always fight against corporate greed to put more money in Pennylvanians’ pockets,” Kate Smart, a spokeswoman for the Casey campaign, told the Washington Examiner.

McDonald’s responded by telling the Senate Democrats that while it has faced steep increases in inflation since 2020, the company has made every effort to keep food prices “affordable.”

“This letter demonstrates a lack of understanding of our franchise business model and contains contortions of facts and many inaccuracies. Take the components of the $5 Meal Deal with McChicken, for example — which would have cost 15% more in 2020 than they do today. That’s the opposite of price gouging,” the fast-food chain said in comments to the outlet. 

McCormick called the letter a “vindictive pressure tactic,” made simply because Casey “doesn’t like Donald Trump,” and the Republican has said massive federal spending, including President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, is responsible for high prices. 

His denouncement comes at a vulnerable moment for Casey. A poll released just days ago indicated the Democratic incumbent is trailing in the race to hold his Senate seat. 

As he fights to keep his seat, Casey has made an effort to reach right-leaning Pennsylvania voters in recent days, even launching an ad campaign promoting bipartisan votes he made in Congress. 

Casey’s new TV ad, which began airing last Friday, said he had “bucked Biden to protect fracking” and “sided with Trump to end NAFTA and put tariffs on China.”

Trump has denounced Casey’s move to pull voters from McCormick and called him and other vulnerable Democrats conducting similar tactics out on Wednesday. 

“Kamala Harris’ sinking Campaign has become so TOXIC, that Democrat Senators in four different States are using me in their advertisements, and stating that they are with President Trump on Tariffs, and numerous other things,” he said in a post to Truth Social.

“While it is a great compliment, it is not fair to those Republican Senate Candidates, Bernie Moreno, Dave McCormick, Eric Hovde, and Sam Brown, who are with me all the time. These Democrats have voted with Crooked Joe Biden almost 100% of the time. They only pretend to be on my side when Elections roll around,” he continued.