Opinion | Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and the Enduring Symbolism of McDonald’s

In presidential politics, you have to meet potential voters where they are. So every four years, churches, college campuses and even barbershops become the mainstays of the presidential campaign circuit. But, this year, the contenders have added the McDonald’s fry station. On Sunday, Donald Trump walked into a Bucks County, Pa., McDonald’s and told the store owner that he was looking for a job, explaining that “I’ve always wanted to work at McDonald’s.” The public’s image of the typical McDonald’s employee has overlapped with the elusive voter both parties are hoping to secure in the last days of the race. The Trump and Harris campaigns have relied on the American dream of industry and unbridled capitalism to tell a story about social mobility and who can deliver it to more Americans. The story of who owns and who works at McDonald’s is part of that story. Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned in campaign ads and interviews her experience working at McDonald’s as a student, the Trump campaign has accused her of lying about her Big Mac bona fides. Even the second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s revelation that he was a McDonald’s Employee of the Month has not lessened the...