Donald Trump’s affinity for fast food, soda, and well-done steaks with ketchup is, at this point, old news. But a new book by former Trump campaign manager Cory Lewandowki, Let Trump Be Trump, details the extent to which aides are required to know, and abide by, Trump’s junk food preferences.
“[Ensuring] the orchestrating and timing of Mr. Trump’s meals was as important as any other aspect of his march to the presidency,” Lewandowski writes, according to an advanced copy of the book previewed by The Washington Post. As for what those meals looked like, well, “on Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza, and Diet Coke.”
Then-candidate Trump — who was allegedly “the healthiest individual” to ever run for office — loved the golden arches. A single McDonald’s meal for the man who was once best known for his combover consisted of “two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate malted,” according to Lewandowski. That’s roughly a 2,400-calorie meal with 3,400 milligrams of sodium — exceeding twice the average daily recommendation of salt, according to The Atlantic.
Trump was also apparently demanding of the in-flight snack selection. The plane was regularly stocked with “Vienna Fingers, potato chips, pretzels, and many packages of Oreos because Trump, a renowned germaphobe, would not eat from a previously opened package,” the Post reports.
The candidate also, according to Lewandowski, didn’t have much patience for other staffers’ meals. Apparently Trump once left his then-campaign advisor Sam Nunberg at a McDonald’s because Nunberg’s order was taking too long to prepare.
Since entering the Oval Office, President Trump’s diet hasn’t changed much. A former body guard to the Commander in Chief recently described how POTUS requested that White House chefs recreate a Quarter Pounder for him. During his recent trip to Asia, the president also stuck closely to his burger and desiccated beef diet while dining out with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
• Trump’s Campaign: Big Macs, Screaming Fits and Constant Rivalries [WaPo]
• Trump's Food Choices Grow More Disconcerting [The Atlantic]
• All Trump Coverage [E]