In a surprising turn of events, Senator JD Vance has called out Vice President Kamala Harris for her unverified claim of working at McDonald's during her college years.
Fox News reported that Vance, during an appearance on "America's Newsroom," expressed his bewilderment at Harris's inability to provide evidence of her alleged McDonald's employment.
The Ohio Republican also praised former President Donald Trump's recent visit to a Pennsylvania McDonald's, where he briefly worked the fry station.
Vance highlighted the contrast between Trump's genuine interaction with McDonald's employees and Harris's unsubstantiated claim. He emphasized the former president's ability to connect with working-class Americans despite his billionaire status.
The senator criticized the mainstream media for their apparent lack of interest in verifying Harris's McDonald's employment claim. Vance pointed out that Harris only began mentioning this alleged work experience in 2019 during her first Senate campaign.
He expressed frustration with the media's tendency to scrutinize Republican candidates' statements while seemingly accepting Harris's narrative without question. Vance challenged journalists to investigate the validity of the vice president's claim.
The Ohio senator suggested that the media's reluctance to fact-check Harris's statement reflects a broader bias in coverage of political figures.
Vance also commented on Trump's recent visit to a Pennsylvania McDonald's, where the former president donned an apron and worked the fry station. The senator praised Trump's ability to interact genuinely with employees and customers, describing it as a skill that "you can't stage, and you can't fake." Vance stated:
That is just a genuine person that Donald Trump is, and it's why I think a lot of working people, even though, of course, he's a successful real estate billionaire, have this emotional connection to Donald Trump, you can't make up that kind of connection.
Vance contrasted Trump's McDonald's visit with Harris's campaign efforts, suggesting that the vice president's attempts to connect with voters have been less successful.
The Harris-Walz 2024 campaign responded to Trump's McDonald's visit, with spokesperson Joseph Costello releasing a statement criticizing the former president's understanding of working-class struggles. Costello stated:
Today, Donald Trump showed exactly what we would see in a second Trump term: exploiting working people for his own personal gain. Trump doesn't understand what it's like to work for a living, no matter how many staged photo ops he does.
Costello's statement also highlighted Harris's record of advocating for workers' rights and pledged to continue this approach if elected president.
In conclusion, Vance reiterated his call for a journalistic investigation into Harris's McDonald's employment claim. He emphasized the importance of applying equal scrutiny to statements made by political figures across party lines.
The senator's comments underscore the ongoing debate about media bias and the verification of politicians' personal narratives. As the presidential campaign intensifies, the scrutiny of candidates' backgrounds and claims is likely to remain a contentious issue.
