McDonald's CEO calls insurrection at the US Capitol an attack on things people 'associate with America,' including McDonald's

• McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski condemned insurrection by pro-Trump supporters in an internal memo viewed by Business Insider.
• "As a quintessentially 'American brand,' McDonald's has always benefitted from the respect and admiration that consumers hold for the ideals of this nation," Kempczinski wrote.
• "It was an attack on all those things that people cherish and associate with America," Kempczinski added. "That includes McDonald's."

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski joined other business leaders in condemning Wednesday's insurrection by pro-Trump supporters, saying it was an attack on things people associate with America - including McDonald's.

Kempczinski condemned the insurrection this week as "unimaginable attacks on democratic norms and institutions in Washington D.C." in a letter sent to the McDonald's system viewed by Business Insider on Friday.

The McDonald's CEO said that while Americans were proud to see Congress "complete their Constitutional duty and enable the peaceful transition of power," the events of the past week could not be forgotten.

"As a quintessentially 'American brand,' McDonald's has always benefitted from the respect and admiration that consumers hold for the ideals of this nation," Kempczinski wrote. "So much of this rests within this country's strong system of governance, freely elected leadership, and our rule of law."

"Thus, the attack that we witnessed this week wasn't just an attack on our Capitol building," Kempczinski continued. "It was an attack on all those things that people cherish and associate with America. That includes McDonald's."

Kempczinski noted that he joined other members of the Business Round Table, a group of 200 CEOs of many of the largest companies in the US, to condemn President Trump and other officials who incited the insurrection. Other CEOs who have spoken out against the attempted coup include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

"While the events this past week at the U.S. Capitol are painful on many levels, I am confident that our nation can rediscover its sense of shared purpose and community," Kempczinski wrote. "They need look no further than their local McDonald's, where we demonstrate what's possible in our communities each and every day."

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