Kamala Harris could become the first president to have worked at McDonald's

Vice President Kamala Harris could become the first U.S. president to have worked at McDonald’s if she’s elected in November. 

Harris is among the one in 8 Americans who have worked at McDonald’s at some point in their lives, according to statistics released by the fast food chain. McDonald’s says 13.7% of adults surveyed work for or had worked for the chain in the past. 

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She’s not the only celebrity who’s worked under the famed Golden Arches: former House Speaker Paul Ryan, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are also among the roughly 41 million people who have worked there. But she may be the only former employee turned high-level politician pushing for McDonald’s to pay its workers more.  

Harris talked about her stint at McDonald’s during an April appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show." In that interview, she revealed she made fries and later was a cashier. She said on Twitter in 2019 that she also worked the infamous ice cream machines.  

Harris is taking her McDonald’s experience to the campaign trail. In an ad published this week, Harris’ campaign touted her middle class upbringing and the time she spent working in fast food. 

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"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 states. 

Harris also addressed her time at McDonald’s in 2019 when she launched her first bid for president. She joined Las Vegas union workers who were fighting for higher pay and a safer working environment. 

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

The Golden Arches (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images)

"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," she said. "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."

Former President Donald Trump, Harris’ opponent in the race for president, never worked at McDonald’s, but he is an avid patron. According to The Washington Post, his go-to order is a Big Mac, a Filet-O-Fish and a vanilla shake. Campaign records show that Trump and his inner circle spend big at McDonald’s: a Newsweek report says the Trump campaign spent more than $35,000 on fast food and catering in May alone – and nearly $5,000 of that money was spent at McDonald’s. 

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Asked what Harris would order if her motorcade was able to make it to the drive-through, she said it would be a "quarter pounder with cheese and fries." 

She also had some advice for McDonald’s customers who find themselves eating on the go. 

"When I was campaigning and we were in the car all the time, we would just cut open a garbage bag … it’s a really great, massive bib," she said. 

"I am here to help," Harris joked.