Everything You'll Find In Donald Trump's Daily Diet

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20, he's been busy assembling his presidential cabinet and making policy plans for the next four years. Trump is not known to be a healthy eater, and he hasn't been shy about declaring his love for fast food. During his presidential campaign, he spent an hour behind the counter of a McDonald's serving up fries and passing out orders at the drive-thru. His main form of exercise is golf, but he's said he doesn't believe exercise is good for you (via CNN).

Trump must be doing something right. He's the oldest president to be sworn into office at the age of 78 — five months older than Biden was in January 2020. Even though Trump hasn't been as open about his medical history as other presidents, his personal doctor says he's in "excellent" health (via Axios). Former White House doctor Ronny Jackson (now a Texas Congressman) attributed Trump's good health despite poor diet and lack of exercise to "incredible genes" (per CNN). That said, it's worth looking at Trump's diet to see how certain foods impact health.

In a 2016 interview with Jesse Watters, Trump said he skips breakfast. "I try to avoid breakfast actually," he said. "If I have [breakfast], I like bacon and eggs." Many people who practice intermittent fasting will skip breakfast, but breakfast can improve your memory and focus, according to UC Davis Health. You'll also reduce your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. That doesn't mean you should stock up on sugary donuts.

Trump's choice of bacon and eggs is a little better. Eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, but the American Heart Association says eating an egg every day can be part of a healthy diet. A large egg has 6 grams of protein and is a good source of choline for brain health. However, people with high cholesterol need to pay attention to dietary cholesterol and saturated fat in their diets. That's where the bacon can be problematic for Trump, who takes medication to control his cholesterol levels. Bacon is high in saturated fat and has some trans fat, which are both associated with high cholesterol.

To help balance his cholesterol levels, Trump's breakfast could use some fiber such as whole wheat toast or fruit. Trump also shared with Watters that he likes cereals, as long as they're made in the United States. He specifically named Corn Flakes and Raisin Bran as his preferences. A cup of Post Raisin Bran cereal provides 8 grams of fiber.

Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski wrote in his book, "Let Trump Be Trump," that Trump would go for up to 16 hours without eating while on the 2016 campaign trail (via Business Insider). That doesn't mean that Trump is into intermittent fasting. He'd have his private plane stocked with Oreos, Vienna Fingers, potato chips, and pretzels (via People).

When lunch is planned, Trump likes his meatloaf. He told Martha Stewart in 2005 that meatloaf was his favorite type of sandwich (via CNN). He liked the meatloaf prepared at the White House, insisting that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and another former adviser partake in the dish. Donald Trump's mother Mary Anne's meatloaf recipe includes ground beef, onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, eggs, and breadcrumbs (here's a healthy turkey meatloaf recipe).

A 3-ounce serving of broiled ground beef has 3 grams of saturated fat and 75 grams of cholesterol. Meatloaf is a good source of protein, but it can be high in sodium depending on your recipe. The vegetables in meatloaf add a little bit of fiber, so meatloaf can be fine if you're trying to keep tabs on your blood sugar.

It's no secret about Trump's preference for Diet Coke, drinking up to 12 cans a day, according to the New York Times. A can of Diet Coke has 46 milligrams of caffeine, which is less than a cup of coffee. Multiply that times 12, and you'll total 552 milligrams of caffeine. The Food and Drug Administration says most people can consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day without impacting their health.

Caffeine might have some benefits, according to a 2020 review in Nutrients. Caffeine might help reduce women's risk of stroke, dementia, and depression and protect men against Parkinson's Disease. Not surprisingly, caffeine is also linked with sleep disorders and anxiety.

Diet Coke might be missing sugar, but that doesn't mean it's healthy. The World Health Organization says that artificially sweetened drinks like Diet Coke do little to help you lose weight, and they're associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality.

Trump is wise in forsaking alcohol. Speaking at the Inaugural Faith Summit in October 2024, Trump said he doesn't drink alcohol because his older brother had an alcohol use disorder and told him to avoid alcohol. Health professionals have reconsidered how much alcohol can be healthy, now recommending no alcohol. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently suggested putting warning labels on alcohol to raise awareness about alcohol's link to cancer. The World Health Organization says that alcohol is also associated with liver disease, heart disease, and mental health disorders.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Trump has posted pictures of himself enjoying KFC and McDonald's, and an Instagram post went viral in November 2024 with Trump, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Jr., and Secretary for Health and Human Services nominee Robert Kennedy, Jr. with a feast of McDonald's favorites. Lewandowski said in his book that Trump's order of two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate shake would end a long day without eating on the campaign trail (via Business Insider). That comes to more than 2,600 calories, 46 grams of saturated fat, and almost 3,600 grams of sodium. If Trump ate nothing else all day, he'd be missing vitamins C and D.

According to a 2016 review in Health Promotion Perspectives, fast food diets tend to be low in nutrients and high in calories and fat. When you eat a lot of fast food, you're more likely to have more belly fat, obesity, high cholesterol, problems with blood sugar, and excess inflammation. During Trump's first term, his weight shot to 243 pounds, which put him at a BMI of 30.4. That's considered to be obese.

President Joe Biden is well-known for his love for ice cream, but Donald Trump also loves this frozen favorite. While Jackson served as White House doctor, he tried to fix Trump's diet. He told the New York Times that he wanted Trump to exercise, but those efforts failed. He was able to sneak some cauliflower into Trump's mashed potatoes and keep him away from ice cream. While former Vice President Mike Pence ordered a fruit plate for dessert, Trump got two scoops of ice cream with his chocolate cream pie, according to Time. (Read what happens when you eat ice cream every day.)

As a dessert, ice cream doesn't provide much nutritional value, which is to be expected. Ice cream can vary in calories and fat content depending on the brand. A serving of vanilla ice cream seems rather harmless at 137 calories. Yet it has 14 grams of sugar, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and less than a gram of fiber. That single serving of ice cream is just half a cup, which is about a scoop. The American Heart Association suggests that men limit their added sugar intake to no more than 36 grams a day for good heart health. It also recommends limiting saturated fats to no more than 6% of total calories.