No, Kamala Harris wasn’t kicked out of McDonald’s for stealing. That’s satire

The claim: McDonald’s confirmed that Kamala Harris was fired for stealing

An Aug. 29 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes a photo of Vice President Kamala Harris and a claim about a job at McDonald’s she says she held in college.

“McDonald’s confirms that Kamala Harris DID work for them in the summer of 1981,” the caption on the image reads. “She was fired for stealing.”

Some commenters on the post seemed to believe the claim was authentic.

“Well that says it all, she stole from McDonald’s, she has stolen more than that, and now she is trying to steal from us, the American citizens, and what is very disgusting is that she is getting paid for everything, how shocking (sic),” wrote one user.

“Nothing surprises me anymore. I must have wanted those nuggets desperately,” wrote another user.

The post was shared more than 6,000 times in six days.

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Our rating: Satire

The post is labeled as satire and comes from a satirical Facebook account and website.

Statement in line with previous works of the satirical chain

Harris has spoken during both of her presidential campaigns about having worked at McDonald’s in college, and has drawn on that anecdote in both 2019 and 2024 to show that she understands middle- and working-class voters. However, conservatives have seized on the fact that she did not list her summer job making fries on an application for a paralegal position, leading to accusations that she never worked there.

Harris’s campaign has not provided any evidence that she worked under the golden arches, nor have critics provided evidence that she did not work there. McDonald’s has also not commented on her employment.

The claim that a corporate official said she had been fired came from America’s Last Line of Defense, a network of satirical websites and social media accounts.

Christopher Blair, the chain’s operator, told USA TODAY that most of its posts about Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are designed to “ultimately be positive stories that end up bouncing around in the echo chamber.” Harris’ story about McDonald’s, linked to in the comments on the Facebook post, for example, says she stole McNuggets to feed the homeless. A story with a headline saying Walz operated an “escort service” in college said it was actually a tutoring service so named because she could only afford a Ford Escort.

The satire is clearly labeled everywhere it is presented. The Facebook post was on the network’s page for America – Love It Or Leave It, and the photo in the post is labeled as satire. The account’s profile page also says: “Nothing on this page is real.”

Fact CheckThere is no evidence that Harris has said she will end the Second Amendment

Snopes and PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Claim that McDonald’s fired Harris for stealing is satire | Fact Check