Donald Trump is doing something different as the former president runs for the White House for the third time

Running for the White House a third time, former President Donald Trump appears to be embracing a campaign tradition he mostly avoids during his first two presidential campaigns: small-scale retail politics.

While Trump was known for his large rallies during his successful 2016 presidential campaign and unsuccessful 2020 re-election, he rarely made small stops to speak to voters at restaurants, diners, cafes, and fast food joints.

During his trip to Iowa last week — his first trip to the state, which has been topping the GOP calendar for the presidential nomination since the launch of its 2024 White House campaign in mid-November — Trump’s large-scale event at the Adler Theater in Davenport and his Comments targeting likely rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made headlines.

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But equally significant to his campaign was his unannounced stop before the rally at a popular Hawkeye State chain, Machine Shed, to mingle with patrons.

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Last month, after visiting the site of a train derailment in eastern Palestine, Ohio, Trump stopped at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant.

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And after his campaign launch event in South Carolina on Jan. 28, the former president — whose love of fast food is well documented — surprised employees and customers when he stopped at Zesto of West Columbia, a restaurant known for his fried chicken is known. Burgers and ice cream cones dipped in chocolate.

Trump 2024 campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News, “These types of visits draw a lot of attention and attention, not just in the media but on social media as well. But we will still hold rallies. That’s not something In Rallies.”

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“It’s just another tool in the toolbox to get the president there to meet and interact with people face-to-face,” Cheung said.

Trump announced this week that he would hold a large-scale rally in Waco, Texas, on March 25 — and his campaign said Saturday that a possible indictment by the Manhattan Attorney’s Office would not interrupt those plans.