Former President Donald Trump continues to dispute Vice President Kamala Harris’ claim that she worked at McDonald’s as a college student, despite her assertions that she did.
At a press conference in New York on Thursday, Trump reiterated his skepticism without providing evidence to support his position. “Kamala never had a job at McDonald’s. Her resume talks about McDonald’s, McDonald’s, McDonald’s,” Trump stated.
The former president’s comments came shortly after Harris addressed the issue during an interview with MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle on Wednesday night. Harris explained, “Part of the reason I even talk about having worked at McDonald’s is because there are people who work at McDonald’s in our country who are trying to raise a family and pay rent on that.”
Harris added that her perspective on the needs of the American people, shaped by her experiences, differentiates her from her political opponents.
Trump escalated the dispute on Thursday, mocking Harris’s account of her time at McDonald’s. “‘When I worked at the French fry counter, it was so tough, so hard,'” he said, imitating Harris. He later added, “She didn’t work there. She never worked at McDonald’s, it was a lie.”
The Trump campaign has demanded documentation to prove Harris’ employment at McDonald’s.
In response, a Harris campaign official stated that she worked at a McDonald’s franchise in Alameda, California, during the summer of 1983.
Despite this, Trump has continued to challenge Harris’ account at various campaign events. At a rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania, on Monday, Trump speculated about Harris’s alleged dishonesty and expressed a desire to work a “french fry job for about a half an hour” at an unnamed franchise.
The dispute began after the Harris campaign released a video in August stating, “She grew up in the middle-class home, she was the daughter of a working mom and she worked at McDonald’s while she got her degree. Kamala Harris knows what it’s like to be middle class.”
Trump first questioned Harris’ claim at a Moms for Liberty convention in Washington, telling supporters, “She also said, ‘I worked at McDonald’s.’ Turned out she didn’t work at McDonalds. After an exhaustive study that took about 20 minutes, they found out she never worked there.”
Harris has consistently maintained that she worked at McDonald’s. She initially shared this information in 2019 when she joined striking McDonald’s workers on a picket line. The topic has since been mentioned at various events, including the Democratic National Convention, where former President Bill Clinton referenced it.
McDonald’s has not commented on the ongoing dispute.
The disagreement over Harris’ past employment has become a recurring theme in Trump’s campaign rhetoric. At an Arizona rally this month he called Harris a liar.
The ongoing dispute reflects broader tensions between the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns as they present competing economic visions to voters. A recent poll found that 50% of registered voters believed Trump would be better at dealing with the economy, compared to 41% who selected Harris.
As the 2024 election approaches, both campaigns are likely to continue emphasizing their candidates’ backgrounds and economic policies in an effort to win over voters.