Fact Check: Is viral photo of Kamala Harris in McDonald's uniform authentic?

WASHINGTON, DC: As election season reaches fever pitch, viral content about candidates has become a staple of social media.

In late October 2024, a photograph claiming to show Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, wearing a McDonald’s uniform made the rounds online.

The image appeared just weeks before the upcoming November 5 election, sparking debate over Harris’ past work experience and fueling partisan tensions.

While the photo quickly went viral, suspicions over its authenticity soon led to questions about whether it was real or a cleverly crafted fake, as per Snopes.

Reverse image search reveals Kamala Harris' McDonald’s uniform photo was manipulated

The origin of this controversy can be traced back to Harris’ frequent recounting of her early work experience, including a stint at a McDonald’s restaurant during her youth.

Harris’ statements about her time at the fast-food chain have been a point of contention for some, with critics questioning the accuracy of her claims.

This skepticism was further amplified by some supporters of her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, who argued that Harris may have fabricated or exaggerated her connection to the iconic fast-food brand.

While there’s no substantial evidence to indicate any deceit, the absence of detailed documentation around her employment history has left room for opponents to challenge her story.

With this backdrop, the sudden appearance of a photograph allegedly showing Harris in a McDonald’s uniform seemed almost too perfect.

The image, showing a young woman in the restaurant’s standard uniform with a striking resemblance to Harris, seemed poised to silence her critics or confirm suspicions - depending on one's political stance.

But the Internet’s penchant for doctored photos and manipulated media soon brought skepticism into play, leading to deeper scrutiny of the photograph.

A reverse image search conducted by Snopes revealed that the photo was, in fact, manipulated.

The original, unedited version showed a different young woman named Suzanne Bernier, who was indeed a McDonald’s shift manager.

The picture, which had been preserved on a family-oriented photo-sharing website, dated back to the early 1980s and was captioned as a cherished memory of Bernier, who has since passed away.

However, someone had digitally altered this photograph, replacing Bernier’s face with that of Harris or someone with a resemblance to her, igniting a political firestorm.

Kamala Harris' altered photo first appeared in a screenshot of political page Progress Matters

The altered photo first appeared in a screenshot on X (formerly known as Twitter), where it was reportedly shared by a left-leaning political Facebook page called Progress Matters.

This page often shares content related to Democratic causes and progressive policies, making it a surprising source for a questionable image tied to Harris’ presidential campaign.

Progress Matters eventually issued a public statement on October 26 to clarify the situation. According to their statement, the image had been posted by one of their multiple contributors, and unfortunately, it had not been properly vetted before going live on the platform.

Progress Matters took swift action, removing the post as soon as they became aware of its inaccuracy.

Their statement read, “A few weeks ago, a photo was posted on our page that falsely depicted Vice President Harris in a McDonald’s uniform. We have multiple contributors to this page, including interns, and while mistakes can happen, we take full responsibility. As soon as we became aware that the image was altered, we promptly removed it, not to conceal the error but to prevent the spread of misinformation, something we wish the other side would do. We sincerely apologize for this mistake and will take greater care to verify content such as this in the future. Thank you for your understanding.”