Donald Trump's love of fast food, and especially anything that comes from beneath a certain pair of golden arches, is well documented. On his recent tour of Ohio, where he visited the site of a derailed train in the village of East Palestine, the former US president couldn't resist stopping at his favourite fast food chain. He also couldn't resist bragging about his extensive knowledge of McDonald's menu, telling cashiers: “So I know this menu better than you do. I probably know it better than anybody in here." He won over other customers, which included firefighters, police and members of his own entourage, by paying for everyone's meals.
Trump's love of burgers and pizzas is almost legendary, with spreads of fast food served to dignitaries. Food has even featured in some of his many 'colourful' moments, such as the time he interrupted a meeting to order milkshakes, the Starburst sweets he allegedly threw at Angela Merkel, and the cherry vanilla ice cream he served up to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Here are a few of Trump's favourite things to eat.
You’ll regularly find the former president dining on food purchased from beneath the famous yellow arches. McDonald’s is believed to be one of his favourite fast food eateries, and he once starred in a commercial for them. His order often contains a classic like a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, with a side order of French fries. But Trump is not a pickle man, and always insists on having the gherkins removed.
Wendy's is another of Trump’s favourite eateries – perhaps partly because Nelson Peltz, part-owner of Wendy’s, has donated generously to Trump’s political campaigns. Trump also claims that he prefers to eat at well-known chains like Wendy’s to dining at independent restaurants because he fears food poisoning. He told CNN: "One bad hamburger, you take Wendy’s and all these other places and they’re out of business."
KFC is another big brand that Trump seems to love. He’s been spotted on a few occasions tucking into a bucket of the colonel's famous secret recipe chicken. However, Trump doesn’t take KFC’s ‘Finger Lickin' Good’ slogan literally – opting to eat his meal with a knife and fork.
It appears Pizza Hut has long claimed a place in the president’s heart (or belly). In 1995, Trump even starred in a commercial to promote Pizza Hut’s stuffed crust. In real life, however, he only ever eats the toppings, steering clear of the crust and even the base. Not one to get his hands dirty when it comes to food, he also eats his pizza with a knife and fork.
A day in the White House can be very long and each president has traditionally relied on snacks to get them through the day. Trump's snack of choice was apparently Doritos, and the White House kitchen is said to have been well-stocked with the nacho-style crisps during his time in office. In contrast, Barack Obama snacked healthily on apples and almonds, while Joe Biden is said to enjoy meat sandwiches and sweet treats.
As the White House prepared for Trump’s arrival back in 2017, they placed a huge order for Lay's potato chips. Now he's left office, he continues to enjoy a packet of Lay's. The former president apparently has his private jet stocked with the snacks to ensure he always has some to hand.
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Oreo and Trump seem to have something of a love-hate relationship. During his 2016 presidential campaign, the cupboards of his private jet were stocked up with the chocolate sandwich biscuits, according to former campaign aides Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie. However, just a year previously Trump had said that he would boycott Oreo due to the brand's decision to move production to Mexico.
Trump is also said to be a big fan of Keebler Vienna Fingers. They’re quite similar to Oreos in terms of their cream and biscuit design (though without the chocolate), so perhaps Trump has a particular soft spot for sandwich cookies.
Trump undoubtedly has a sweet tooth, with See’s Candies – known for boxed treats like chocolates and peanut brittle – another of his favourite brands. The brand has been valued by Trump for a while and it was the charity partner of Trump’s TV show, The Apprentice, back 2015.
Trump enjoys a fruity chew in the form of Starburst. However, he's said to only like the red and pink flavours (luckily Starburst have released ‘red-only’ packets of the candy). This innocent sweet was drawn into a political altercation between Trump and Angela Merkel (then chancellor of Germany) back in June 2018. While representing the US at the G7 Summit in Canada, Trump reportedly threw two Starburst sweets at Merkel, saying: "Here, Angela, don’t say I never give you anything."
Cherry vanilla is Trump's favourite flavour of ice cream, according to a 2010 interview with celebrity magazine US Weekly. As such, it's featured on the menu at several important events including Trump’s inauguration celebration dinner. It was also served – with cake – to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the US-North Korea summit in 2018.
Trump loves Diet Coke so much that, at one point, he reportedly drank up to 12 cans a day and had a Diet Coke request button fitted in the Oval Office during his time in the White House. However, he has since publicly boycotted Diet Coke due to Coca-Cola’s criticism of Georgia's restrictive voting laws.
The former president is said to fast in the mornings, so breakfast dishes aren’t usually on the menu in the Trump household. However, on the days when he does indulge, he's said to particularly enjoy the classic British combination of bacon and eggs. The bacon is always cooked medium, and he reportedly demands his eggs are served 'over-well', which is when the white is fried on both sides and the yolk is solid.
Trump is a big fan of meatloaf, which could be partly down to the German heritage on his father’s side. For the ex-president, it works best when stuffed into a sandwich. In 2005, he appeared alongside wife Melania on Martha Stewart’s TV show for a demonstration of how to make meatloaf sandwiches – which he confirmed were his favourites.
Trump’s diet is already quite beef-heavy, on account of all those burgers he seems to mainline – but he still has room for steak. Purists (and chefs) might cringe at the fact that he likes it cooked extremely well done and shuns classic sauces like Béarnaise for, erm, ketchup. In fact, he likes little more than a slab of meat so hard and chewy that, according to his former butler as reported by the New York Times, “it would rock on the plate, it was so well done".
Although not one for breakfast, Trump does enjoy American-made cereal – particularly the corn-based kind. In fact, he likes it so much that he referred to it during his campaign trail in Iowa – a state that produces a lot of cereal. In the interview, with Fox News, he said: "You know, the cornflake-type stuff, Raisin Bran. Has to be right out of the fields of Iowa."
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Trump is also partial to seafood, especially crab, prawns – and pretty much anything slapped in a bun and served by a fast food chain. The retro dinner party favourite prawn cocktail has snuck onto the White House starter menu on several occasions. When it comes to fast food, his all-time favourite product from McDonald’s is said to be the Filet-O-Fish.
Eggs and bacon are Trump’s favourite breakfast ingredients on the occasions when he does eat in the mornings. So, unsurprisingly, he’s been known to enjoy an Egg McMuffin from his beloved McDonald’s. McMuffins were a common sight on Trump's 2016 campaign trail – his bodyguard would run to the yellow arches to stock up in the mornings, according to Politico.
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Trump has been seen enjoying a taco bowl from his very own restaurant Trump Grill, inside New York City's Trump Tower. As usual, this isn’t without controversy. The former president posted a photo of himself tucking into his taco bowl lunch on Twitter. "Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!" he said. People were understandably outraged by the tone deaf comment, accusing him of cultural insensitivity.
We know that Trump has a sweet tooth, and chocolate cake is included among his sweet treats. In fact, he served a slice to Chinese President Xi Jinping while they discussed the US airstrikes on Syria in 2017. "We’re now having dessert. And we had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen and President Xi was enjoying it," Trump said in a Fox Business interview.
As we know, Trump is a big fan of burgers, and this also includes Burger King's iconic Whopper. However, his decision to serve them alongside fast food from McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Domino's to national college football champions the Clemson Tigers got Trump into hot water once again. Some accused him of disrespecting the athletes’ strict dietary requirements.
Not one to shy away from a chain restaurant, Trump has been seen dining at Famous Famiglia Pizzeria, which has locations across the US and worldwide. His most notable appearance was in 2011 at a New York City branch, where he dined with fellow Republican Sarah Palin. It was reported that they shared a cheese and pepperoni pizza. And, yes, they did eat it with a knife and fork.
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During his 2016 campaign trail, Trump took a pitstop at Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, New Hampshire – ordering a different take on his usual burger and fries. He apparently ordered a Newton Burger, with a beef patty and scoop of deep-fried mac 'n' cheese sandwiched between two grilled cheeses. He was also, according to reports, heckled by fellow customers who weren't thrilled at his appearance in their local diner.
Trump prefers creamier sauces when it comes to salad dressings. So, on the occasions where he does eat salad, he always has it with Thousand Island dressing, according to Time magazine. Even when guests at the White House were served vinaigrette, Trump remained committed to Thousand Island dressing. Perhaps that’s why he enjoys prawn cocktail so much.
A lot of attention is given to each inauguration day menu, as they usually showcase the president’s selection of dishes. Trump chose Maine lobster, which makes sense given his soft spot for seafood. Alongside lobster, guests also received steak (presumably not overcooked) and soufflé.
Trump’s wife Melania is a pretty good cook, according to the former president himself. One of her best dishes is apparently spaghetti with a meat sauce, so we can presume spaghetti is among the foods that Trump enjoys eating. However, considering Trump travels a lot, it’s perhaps not something he eats as regularly as items from his beloved fast food chains.
Yes, that’s right – yet another burger joint. We can safely assume that burgers are one of Trump’s most prized foods. The former president is known to have dined at Jackson Hole Burgers regularly during his time in New York City. The restaurant typically serves classic burgers alongside a variety of styles of French fries, which sounds right up Trump’s street.
Trump’s fast food diet has fascinated many, but sources insist that the former president does eat things besides hamburgers, with Cobb salad being a favourite. An insider is reported to have told US news website Axios: "He’ll eat like Cobb salad… he eats vegetables." It isn't the leafiest of salads, though – a classic Cobb includes cheese, turkey, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce and avocado, which perhaps explains why it appeals to Trump’s meaty tastebuds.
Milkshakes are very popular with the former president – especially chocolate-flavoured ones. In fact, they’re a regular on his McDonald’s orders and have also featured in one of his trademark controversial moments. During office, Trump reportedly interrupted a classified briefing about Afghanistan to place an order for milkshakes, shocking intelligence agencies.
As mentioned, Trump's ultimate McDonald's order is the Filet-O-Fish, which he calls ‘Fish Delight’. Those close to the former president apparently knew he was recovering well from COVID-19 in October 2020 because he placed his usual McDonald’s order. “I knew he was feeling better when he requested one of his favorite meals,” writes his former senior advisor, Jared Kushner, in his memoir.
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