Last Sunday, former president Donald Trump briefly worked at a suburban Pennsylvania McDonald’s, staffing the fry station and drive-thru window, handing bags to car-bound customers who had been pre-screened by his campaign for security. While working a shift at a job outside the typical confines of politics for a photo opp isn’t exactly a new campaign strategy, Trump’s visit was less about advocating for a particular position or even connecting with so-called everyday voters.

Rather, it was engineered to needle Kamala Harris.

At several campaign stops and in speeches, vice president Harris has mentioned she worked at McDonald’s while earning her degree at Howard University. The Trump campaign has since suggested — without proof — that Harris is lying about her experience, asking her to present evidence of her employment.

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McDonald’s has stated they don’t “have records for all positions dating back to the early ‘80s,” the time period during which Harris would have worked, but Trump has pushed on. When he walked into the fast-food restaurant on Sunday, he said to the franchise owner, “I’ve always wanted to work at McDonald’s, but I never did. I’m running against somebody that said she did, but it turned out to be a totally phony story.”

In an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press the following day, McDonald’s Corp. told employees the company would not be endorsing a political candidate, nor should Trump’s recent drive-thru photo op be misconstrued as an endorsement.

“Upon learning of the former president’s request, we approached it through the lens of one of our core values: we open our doors to everyone,” the company said. “McDonald’s does not endorse candidates for elected office and that remains true in this race for the next president. We are not red or blue – we are golden.”

However, by that point, it looks like the Trump........

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