Labor Day is like many other holidays in that we often lose sight of the real meaning of the day. We look forward to the day off and the barbecues and other gatherings we plan to attend. But the meaning of Labor Day may be the simplest meaning of all the holidays we observe. To honor the men and women, the hard-working Americans who get up every morning and make the country work. As teenagers, we all enter the workforce in pretty much the same way, in those entry-level jobs—even the talented and accomplished members of President Donald Trump's Cabinet. In a new video from the White House, a few of those Cabinet members look back at how they got their start.
Hardwick’s Cafeteria in Ocean Drive Beach, South Carolina, is where I got my first job as a busboy at Age 9 in the Summer of 1972.
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) September 1, 2025
I haven’t stopped working since. And now, thanks to President Trump, I have the honor of working for the American people. Happy Labor Day! pic.twitter.com/n52HUEnecM
The video begins appropriately with Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. She tells a story of a lesson familiar to all of us from our teenage years. If you want something bad enough, then earn the money to pay for it. Chavez-DeRemer said she wanted to be a cheerleader in high school but couldn't afford the uniform. She got a job working 12-hour days, pretty brutal for a teen, packing peaches. Nevertheless, she said she was excited about that first job and ultimately earned enough money to buy the uniform.
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Next up, former Georgia Congressman, now Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins. His first job was at the local Big Star grocery store. He got up early in the morning, often a challenge for teens. His job was to clean the floors, and no doubt was the guy people saw when they heard that announcement, "Cleanup on aisle 5." Collins said that he worked at the store for five years, from high school until he was in college.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's first job is one that many people share. She delivered newspapers in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. She says that as the fourth of five children, her parents instilled a strong work ethic in all their children. In Gabbard's case, it has definitely paid off. Not only did she serve on the Honolulu city council, but she also served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserve.
One of my first jobs was working the morning biscuit line at Hardee’s as a teenager.
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) August 28, 2025
Some things have changed since then, but I am still finding my way to Hardee’s for my job, just this time in Erbil, Iraq instead of Red Oak, Iowa. pic.twitter.com/qK13iW1iwZ
You might think Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin looks the part for his first job. He worked at the local library. Zeldin remembers the day he got "a massive promotion" to the retail area. He described it as a "dress shirt supervisor" position that came with a hefty 50-cent raise. Think of the person you might have paid the fine to for not returning those books on time, and you might have dealt with a young, up-and-coming Lee Zeldin.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also had a first job that many others might have had. He was a lifeguard at the local indoor pool where his mom worked. I am sure I speak for many conservative women who have had the pleasure of seeing at least one of the many videos featuring a shirtless Pete Hegseth, and faking drowning might have been a fleeting thought.
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With a name like Kennedy, you might not think that it would have been necessary for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to have a first job. But he did, and it was quite a unique one. He worked at the Washington D.C. zoo in the reptile house, where he would feed the animals, clean cages, including the glass part, and polish guard rails in front of the cages with brass polish. Kennedy said that he learned that "little things count," and that no matter what you do, you should apply yourself to doing it the best you can.
It's working those first jobs, whether it's delivering newspapers, being a lifeguard, or my first job in a movie theatre, where we learn the basics, that if we are willing to work hard, the sky's the limit to where we will go.
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