Does Trump Follow The New Dietary Guidelines? — Here's How MAHA Compares To The President's Diet

January 2026 saw the release of the latest U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans -– the DGAs. These are published every five years by the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the latter of which is now headed by one Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. A talisman of the MAHA movement (Make America Healthy Again), RFK Jr. was appointed to that position by Donald Trump, extending the current president's MAGA influence into the sphere of nutrition.

Ironic that, since Trump's diet — unadventurous, straightforward, and well-documented — doesn't always align with the vision for Americans' consumption habits outlined by the DGAs. Whether that changes at the behest of RFK Jr., we'll see. The president is not exactly known for revising or experimenting with what he eats and drinks in any way, shape, or form, so we probably shouldn't expect a makeover to The Donald's fridge. With that said, which of Trump's dietary choices happen to fall in line with the MAHA doctrine of eating "real food" and which don't even come close? Let's find out.

The new DGAs place a big emphasis on protein. So much so that it encourages eating protein every meal of the day — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is especially noted for older adults, like Trump, who (although often requiring fewer calories) are encouraged to pack the nutrients into their meals with comestibles like meat, seafood, dairy, eggs, whole grains, and fresh produce.

So what does Donald Trump usually eat for the so-called most important meal of the day? How about a whole heap of nothing. That's right, not a thing. In fact, Trump is known to go the first 12-or-so hours of the day without consuming a crumb.

It creates a bit of a judgment conundrum: Does Trump eating zilch for breakfast put him in good graces with MAHA or not? He's not eating anything going against the movement, yet he's also not eating anything the movement wants you to eat for breakfast. All in all, you'd have to assume RFK JR. would at least want to share some of his breakfast sauerkraut with the president. Not sure that would go over well.

To reiterate, the MAHA people love protein. They especially love their red meat and eggs. This is a big part of the DGAs revised food pyramid, which places protein, dairy, and healthy fats right alongside fruits and vegetables at the very top. Now, the use of the food pyramid at all to convey this may be an outdated, ineffective mode of doing so, but there is no doubt where the MAHA-led USDA and HHS stand on things.

With that in mind, Donald Trump's breakfast –- when he actually does have one –- shouldn't ruffle too many MAHA feathers. Trump, as is characteristic of the man himself, doesn't go with finesse or subtlety here. He goes for classic bacon and eggs. This trends so much with Trump's personality it should come with a side of big red necktie.

Yet, according to the new DGAs, this is an agreeable-ish meal to start the day. The eggs are a big yes. The bacon is a 50-50. It is protein (a-okay) but the level of sodium is just a bit much, even for these new, fats-forward guidelines. Regardless, we'll file this binary breakfast dish as MAHA-approved.

There are certain points MAHA and these new DGAs seem to consider non-negotiable, and it falls in line with the emphasis on what RFK Jr. keeps calling "real food." According to the DGA document, over 70% of Americans are overweight or obese. One of the main culprits standing in the way of getting this number down: beverages with artificial flavors, dyes, sweeteners, and preservatives. This very much includes sodas. (MAHA may want to look away now.)

To say Donald Trump enjoys Diet Coke is like saying a koala enjoys eucalyptus. The man practically gorges on the stuff, going through a dozen cans every day. It's often the only liquid entering his body. It's even gone into his extensive redecorating of The White House, via the re-installation of a Diet Coke button to the Oval Office desk. That way, anytime he gets a hankering (which works out to roughly once every waking hour) he just summons an underling with a single press and, voila, Diet Coke-accompanied bill signing.

According to the guidelines, it doesn't seem like a switch from Diet Coke to Coke Zero will suffice either. It's just plain bad for all Americans, Trump included.

The new DGAs suggest taking in about 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. Accordingly, the MAHA crowd aren't trying to tiptoe around the consumption of meat. It's all about embracing the carnivorous side of things (no matter how much this actually jives with the probably misnamed Paleo diet).

Good thing Trump is very much the carnivore. A steak guy. Even starting his own line of Trump Steaks a few years back (which didn't last). So, all good on the MAHA front? Not so fast. Because it's Trump's steak accompaniment that falls out of line with the DGAs: his beloved ketchup. The added sugar in the president's favorite condiment is a no-no, but Trump doesn't seem to have one without the other.

Now, as far as how Trump likes his steak, that's another matter. Despite the idea that cooking a steak well-done is the equivalent of putting a bathrobe on Michelangelo's David, Donald Trump demands his meat be overcooked and completely colorless in the middle. It's no surprise that he goes for the ketchup then, just to be able to get the chewy, well-done meat to actually slide down his throat. We'll call this one a toss-up.

One of the categories of food carried over from the previous DGAs to this one, pretty much untouched, is fruits and vegetables. Veggies are still prioritized as a daily dietary need, falling in line with the "real food" theme of this HHS administration.

However, according to Trump's former butler, the late Tony Senecal, who told the Palm Beach Post that the president would order his well-done steak with a certain request: "no garbage with it." Garbage meant vegetables or any other green-y, foofy add-ons. Maybe he thinks the ketchup is vegetable enough? Although the tomato is a fruit? (Well, both actually, according to the Supreme Court.) Either way, veggies are an absolute no-go on the Donald's plate.

In fairness, the DGAs are ostensibly okay with vegetables yet explicitly downplay the vegan and vegetarian diet, citing their potential lack of nutrition. Although Trump is going against MAHA's DGAs on paper, he's probably not upsetting the apple cart by equating a side of veggies with literal refuse. After all, he's having his clean red meat. At least he's not eating McDonald's or anything — wait, oh.

One of the noteworthy breaks from past iterations found in the new MAHA DGAs is concerning alcohol consumption. But let's not break out the bottles in celebration yet. It's not like alcohol is now all of a sudden good for us. On the contrary, the only difference in these DGAs is that no specific alcohol limit is given (e.g. two drinks a day for men, etc.). It simply, vaguely states that alcohol should be limited, if consumed at all.

Trump doesn't have to worry about this concern. The guy has never been a drinker. He's a lifelong teetotaler, in fact; prompted by the death of his alcoholic older brother at a young age. The president claims he's never had a single drink in his life. Which may be unfathomable for some of us to imagine but seems to be the case nonetheless.

Listen, we know alcohol has virtually zero health benefits. No doctor is going to promote imbibing (the whole glass-of-red-wine-a-day rec seems to be a thing of the past), and the categorization of binge drinking seems to be a tight one. So, although many of us might feel the current president could use a pint — the bit of self-reflection that comes with it, etc. — he doesn't touch the stuff and certainly never will. MAHA would approve. 

We're back to a food vice of Trump's that's not even close to being in line with MAHA. Mostly. According to the new DGAs, Americans should be eating or drinking three servings of dairy per day. And how these DGAs really diverge from past administrations' is the advocation –- really urging –- of full-fat dairy. To the current USDA and HHS, whole milk is king, whereas in the past only fat-free or low-fat milk was suggested. RFK Jr. is a big believer in saturated fat and has gone to great lengths to clear its good name. Not all health experts agree with this approach and even warn of its potential cardiovascular effects on the population.

With that said, Trump's vanilla shake propensity is not absolved according to MAHA standards. Yes, milkshakes meet the dairy fulfillment and then some. But the added sugars, oh boy. We're talking 40 grams of the stuff in a small milkshake from McDonald's (Trump's go-to milkshake –- not that McDonald's calls them that). That's roughly, oh, 40 grams more than the DGAs want you to have. Tack on the yikes amount of sodium and this is one habit where MAHA would say nah-ah.

One of the new DGAs' more noteworthy emphases is on added sugar. It has long been frowned upon by the general medical community, so that part is nothing new. Diabetes, heart disease, and obesity have all been directly linked to sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, and the like. There's even a proposal from the FDA to place added sugar content (along with sodium and saturated fat) right smack on the front of food packaging.

But it's the degree of restriction from these MAHA DGAs that really stands out. It's pretty austere. The guidelines advise against giving children any added sugars, any, until their 10-years-old –- up from 2-years-old. The previous iteration of the dietary guidelines also limited added sugar to 10% of one's daily caloric intake, which works out to about 50 grams. Now, it's no more than 10 grams per meal, although, ideally, they want your diet to have no added sugar in it whatsoever.

MAHA, meet Donald Trump's sweet tooth. Trump's love of candy — especially Starburst, Tootsie Rolls, and Hershey's chocolate –- does not square with the DGAs adversarial take on processed sweets. Trump considers himself a "candy addict," and is never far from a bowl of what he lovingly considers his poison. Candy is also on hand during high-stress situations and meetings as a bit of a release. Yet, like everything else in his diet, he is very picky. He only likes the cherry and strawberry-flavored Starburst.

One thing that the new DGAs focus on –- which tracks with its crusade against weight gain –- is portion size. The main document containing the specific guidelines has a literal sub-headline stating "Eat the Right Amount for You."

Granted, the section is a bit vague (not the only time you can say that about these DGAs), simply saying that your caloric intake should depend on your personal attributes and behaviors (age, sex, height, weight, activity), but nothing more specific than that. Same goes for paying attention to portion sizes. That's all it says, just pay attention. Basically, MAHA wants you to avoid stuffing your face and to be sensible with meal volume.

Trump's been known to go up to an entire day without eating. So come time, dinner from his favorite restaurant on Earth –- Mickey D's –- is, excuse the term, a whopper of non-moderation. It's not unusual for the president to gorge on two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, two Big Macs, and  a shake. If you're doing the math, that's about 2,400 calories in a sitting. Guess you don't need specifics to know that's a lot.

And here we are. The battleground between MAHA and Trump. The president's longtime love of the Golden Arches is no secret. He even famously made a campaign stop to throw on an apron and work at the fry station of a Bucks County, Pennsylvania McDonald's. And he's claimed he knows the McDonald's menu better than the people who work there.  

Trump's adoration of McDonald's is, among other things, rooted in a fear of being poisoned. By his logic, a premade McDonald's meal is safe and won't be used to knock him off, like an adversary might with a medieval king. He also believes McDonald's are cleaner than most other places, including, presumably, fine-dining restaurants. That's all fine and dandy, but does anyone want to tell him he can just really like the food without conjuring far-fetched reasons to justify that? 

Despite Trump's dubious concerns for his safety, fast food is an absolute no-no in the MAHA DGAs, mostly because of the sodium levels, refined carbs, and ultra-processed ingredients involved. RFK Jr. has had fast-food restaurants in his crosshairs for some time, criticizing their contribution to Americans' poor nutrition. Although he did applaud Steak 'n Shake for starting to use his beloved beef tallow in its French fries. But if the current HHS secretary would ever want to take on McDonald's, he might have a big, angry U.S. president standing in his way.

The new DGAs take great pains to point out what it sees as deficiencies in vegetarian or vegan diets. The guidelines claim a meatless or plant-based nutrition plan can often lack five essential vitamins (A, D, E, B6, B12), plus riboflavin, niacin, choline, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and of course protein. However the guidelines do maintain the status quo approach on overall fruit and vegetable consumption, recommending at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit per day.

Although Trump isn't know for his fruit intake, and he sometimes calls vegetables garbage, he will dig into a salad from time to time. A "yippee" from the MAHA contingent? Maybe half a yippee. Because his go-to on the salad is Thousand Island dressing. The sugars in Thousand Island dressing are mostly added, as in sucrose –- a big DGA bugbear. The almost 1,000 grams of sodium in your average version of the salad dressing don't win the president any nutrition points with the MAHA mission. One step forward, Trump. One step back.

Let's give Doritos credit first. It's a snack that can connect people across the political divide (no small feat nowadays). Both Trump and Kamala Harris would dig into a bag when campaigning against each other, the pair citing it as a shared favorite munchie (and both go with Nacho Cheese flavor over Cool Ranch). Trump himself always has the White House stocked with the classic corn chip.

Problem is, Doritos are a perfect example of the type of highly processed food the new DGAs want you to steer clear of. A big point of emphasis with RFK Jr. and HHS is gut health, and processed snacks like Doritos can throw off gut balance, sabotaging the diverse microbiome connected to beneficial health. 

Obviously, the idea that something like Doritos isn't good for you is not exactly toppling an old world order. Junk food has always been teeming with added sugar, sodium, and all the rest of the anti-nutritional culprits. Why do the masterminds behind MAHA think Americans are all of a sudden going to listen now? Actually, they already were. Junk food sales and consumption have been dropping steadily over the past decade ... that obviously doesn't include the current president.