Why does ‘DoorDash Grandma’ keep showing up with MAGA members?

Updated April 14, 2026, 2:25 p.m. ET

A delivery to the White House on Monday was not the first political appearance by "DoorDash Grandma" Sharon Simmons, who was previously been put in the spotlight by GOP members in multiple states.

Simmons was asked by Trump on Monday if she voted for him, with the president telling her that he "heard you're a great supporter." Simmons did not confirm she voted for Trump, only saying she "maybe" did.

She does appear to have some allegiances to the Republican party, having been used by other GOP members to highlight Trump's "No Tax On Tips" initiative passed last year.

It's unclear why Simmons, from Arkansas, was chosen to deliver food to the White House during Monday's staged photo opp, but she has previously been vocal about her support for Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill."

While speaking during a Ways and Means Committee hearing in Nevada in July 2025, she said the bill would allow her to "stay more connected with my family," telling members of congress it would "help me with my future."

"Her story is just one of thousands across America who are finding financial breathing room thanks to @HouseGOP," Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., said while sharing the video.

A few days before her White House visit, Simmons appeared in a video shared on social media by Jason Smith, R-Mo., to tout the same message she later gave at the White House.

"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," Simmons said of the bill.

Smith's video said she lived in Missouri and the 2025 video said she had lived in Nevada, but a spokesperson for DoorDash said she recently moved to Arkansas.

DoorDash pushed back on online speculation that Simmons was a MAGA prop.

"No one is claiming it was a real delivery," Julian Crowley, a public affairs official at DoorDash, said in a post on X. "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."

Why was Sharon Simmons at the White House?

Simmons, according to DoorDash, has been dashing since 2022 and has completed more than 14,000 deliveries.

She said Trump's "No Tax On Tips" initiative — which passed a year ago Monday — has saved her thousands as her husband battles cancer.

Trump tipped Simmons $100, and as she stood alongside him during a press conference, he asked her if she supports transgender athletes in women's sports.

"I really don't have an opinion on that," Simmons responded. "I'm here about No Tax On Tips."