There are over 13,000 McDonald's MCD locations in the United States, but only one can claim former President Donald Trump worked a short shift there.
Vice President Kamala Harris has also worked at a McDonald's location, which led to a Benzinga reader poll on who would make the better McDonald's boss.
What Happened: Trump recently worked the drive-thru window and French-fry station during a short shift at a small town Pennsylvania location while the restaurant was closed to the public for his visit.
Harris's previous work experience at a McDonald's location and her husband's time working at the restaurant company were used as part of a rallying cry at the Democratic National Convention for the working middle class versus the rich, like Trump.
With Trump failing to believe that Harris ever worked at McDonald's, he has used his stop at the Pennsylvania location to connect with swing state voters and workers in the key 2024 election state.
While most Americans will never work for Trump, Harris, or another leading politician, Benzinga imagined both working as managers at McDonald's.
"If you worked at McDonald's, who would you rather have as your manager?" Benzinga recently asked.
The results were:
- Donald Trump: 47%
- Kamala Harris: 53%
Benzinga readers favored Harris to be their boss at McDonald's by a slight margin.
While Harris's career primarily focused on politics and law, Trump's background was mainly in real estate and entertainment before entering politics.
Trump is the co-founder of Trump Media & Technology Group DJT, the owner of the Truth Social platform.
While the Benzinga poll doesn't directly address the 2024 election, it could hint at candidate preferences, as the presidency is often seen as the ultimate American managerial role.
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Why It's Important: The key question from Trump's McDonald's visit and Harris highlighting her past work there is which candidate resonates more with swing state voters and middle-class workers.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) tried to use Harris’s McDonald's experience to contrast the work history of Trump, who started with a $1 million loan from his father in the real estate sector.
“One candidate worked at McDonald’s … The other was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and helped his daddy in the family business: Housing discrimination,” Crockett said at the Democratic National Convention.
While Trump’s brief shift at McDonald’s won’t lead to a new career change, it could provide a potential boost to his favorable and net buzz rankings.
“Does Donald Trump working at McDonald’s as part of his campaign change your perception of him?” Benzinga recently asked readers.
The results were as follows:
- Yes, I view him more favorably: 30%
- Yes, I view him less favorably: 15%
- No, it doesn’t change my opinion: 55%
The poll results show that a larger portion of Benzinga readers see the campaign stunt as being favorable for Trump ahead of the 2024 election. Although the majority of readers said the event does not change their opinion of the former president.
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The study was conducted by Benzinga from Oct. 21 through Oct. 22, 2024, and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 134 adults.
Photo: Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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