Did Kamala Harris work at McDonald's? Bill Clinton jokes about VP breaking his fast food record during DNC speech

Former US President Bill Clinton recently joked about Vice President Kamala Harris breaking his record of being the President who spent the most time at McDonalds.

During his speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Wednesday, August 21, Clinton highlighted Harris' time working as a McDonald's employee when she was a student to elucidate her dedication to public service.

“When she [Harris] was a student, she worked at McDonald’s. She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, ‘How can I help you?’ And now, she’s at the pinnacle of power, she’s still asking, ‘How can I help you?,’” he said.

“I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she’ll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald’s."

Vice President Kamala Harris has previously confirmed that she worked at McDonald's as a student. She first served french fries and ice-cream sandwiches as an employee and later worked as a cashier. The exact years of her employment with the fast-food chain have not been disclosed.

Clinton's love for the food from the Golden Arches was well-known during his tenure at the White House, leading him to become the US President who spent the most time at McD outlets.

The McDonald's outlet in Little Rock also has a plaque to honor Clinton's love for the fast-food chain, as he frequently visited the outlet during his time as Governor. Meanwhile, if elected President in November, Kamala Harris could become the first US President to have worked at McDonald's.

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Kamala Harris campaigned for McDonalds to pay its workers more in 2019

Kamala Harris opened up about her role as a Golden Arches employee in an April 2019 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. Harris revealed that she made fries while working at McD and later served as a cashier. In a later post on X, the Vice President added that she also worked on the ice cream machines.

In June 2019, Harris took to X to demand livable wages and a safe working environment for McD workers, claiming that the fast food chain was not paying its workers well.

"I worked at @McDonalds when I was a student, doing french fries and ice cream. There wasn't a family relying on me to pay the bills — but that's the reality for too many workers today."

Kamala Harris also joined union workers in Las Vegas in their fight for higher pay and a better working environment in 2019, shortly after presenting her first bid to run for President. In the Las Vegas rally, Harris called out the Golden Arches for not being able to provide such conditions to its workers.

"If we want to talk about those golden arches being a symbol of the best of America, well the arches are falling short. And we have got to recognize that working people deserve livable wages," she said.

Harris addressed her time as a McD employee, admitting she was not responsible for running a household then. However, the Vice President acknowledged that this is not true for most workers working in fast-food outlets today.

"There was not a family relying on me to pay the rent, put food on the table and keep the bills paid by the end of the month. But the reality of McDonald’s is that a majority of the folks who are working there today are relying on that income to sustain a household and a family," she added.

Kamala Harris has emphasized her experience working at McDonald's in her campaign trial for the 2024 presidential elections. In one of her campaign ads from last week, the Vice President was presented as someone with a middle-class upbringing, and her time as a McD employee was highlighted.

"She grew up in a middle class home. She was the daughter of a working mom. And she worked at McDonald’s while she got her degree," the ad said.

Kamala Harris was once asked what she would order from McDonalds if she was on the go, and she took a classic quarter pounder with cheese and fries as her pick. Kamala Harris's opponent and Republican nominee, Donald Trump, is also a big connoisseur of the Golden Arches' food, per The Washington Post.

As per the outlet, Trump's go-to order from McDonald's is a Big Mac, a Fillet-O-Fish, and a vanilla shake.