Claim that Kamala Harris was fired from McDonald’s for stealing is satire

As Vice President Kamala Harris vies for the presidency, she has highlighted many of her past work experiences, including a job at McDonald’s. But some social media users claimed the fast food job didn’t end well.

"McDonald’s Corporate Confirms: Kamala Harris DID work for them in the summer of 1981," read text across an image of Harris that was shared more than 6,000 times. "She was fired for stealing."

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

(Screengrab from Facebook)

What wasn’t apparent to many readers, however, is that the source of this Aug. 29 claim is a satirical Facebook page: America’s Last Line of Defense.

"What!!! Wow!!! I can’t believe!!" one commenter wrote. "She’s the nominee for President of United State!!"

"Many do not understand the impact of this!! Y'all better know what policies you are voting for!!!!" commented another.

Harris has said in presidential campaign ads and other public appearances that she worked at McDonald’s while she was in college. Her campaign told PolitiFact that Harris worked at a McDonald’s in Alameda, California, in the summer of 1983. Harris attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., from 1982 to 1986.

In the comments of its McDonald’s post, America’s Last Line of Defense linked to an article by Dunning-Kruger Times that cited a McDonald’s spokesperson who said Harris was fired for stealing "‘a substantial amount’ of chicken McNuggets."

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stated on October 13, 2024 in social media posts

Video shows former Vice President Mike Pence endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Dunning-Kruger Times calls itself "a subsidiary of the ‘America’s Last Line of Defense’ network of parody, satire and tomfoolery." America’s Last Line of Defense has been writing fake headlines for years. Its creator, Christopher Blair, has told PolitiFact that the parody aims to fool conservatives with fake stories most people would find absurd.

As it did in this Facebook post, America’s Last Line of Defense often places a watermark in the corner of its images that includes the organization’s name along with a "Satire" disclaimer. But people coming in contact with the post frequently overlook that disclaimer, and people shared the headline in their own timelines as if it were real news.

PolitiFact contacted McDonald’s about this claim but did not receive a response before publication.

We rate the claim that Harris was fired from McDonald’s for stealing Pants on Fire!