What Donald Trump Eats Before State Dinners Instead Of Fancy Food

President Donald Trump certainly has some interesting eating habits — interesting in a way that would raise a nutritionist's eyebrows. Good on him for being a teetotaler, but then again, a dozen Diet Cokes a day don't exactly do a body good. His fast-food habit isn't the healthiest, either, although some of his other choices, while divisive, are strictly a matter of personal preference. Eating well-done steak with ketchup would fit into this latter category, as would his choice not to eat what's on his plate at state dinners.

Yes, he doesn't consume much, if any, of the food on the menu when he entertains guests at the White House. (Can't wait to read the chef's memoirs.) Frustrating though that may be for kitchen staff, Trump prefers having a burger delivered to him before the dinner takes place. This info comes courtesy of White House insider, journalist Michael Wolff, who shared it on the Daily Beast's "Inside Trump's Head" podcast. Wolff went on to say that at the actual dinners, the POTUS is served a plate of food, which he'll take a few pokes at with a fork to make it look like he's participating in the meal. He's also said to keep up a running monologue throughout the event, which Wolff characterizes as a distraction tactic. It also seems pretty characteristic of how he presents himself, though, so it may just come naturally.

As for the burger itself, Wolff didn't disclose whether this, too, was prepared in the White House kitchen, or whether some poor staffer is sent out to hit up the nearest McDonald's. We wouldn't be surprised if the latter was true, since Trump sure loves him some Mickey D's.

One reason why Donald Trump consistently refuses to eat the food at state dinners may be his well-documented fear of being poisoned. He's admitted that his preference for fast food restaurants is due, in part, to the fact that he feels safer eating food made before anyone knew he'd be ordering it. That way, it couldn't have been intended for him specifically. Plausible as this may be, it's also possible he just dislikes the fancy food served at state dinners.

On the 2016 campaign trail, then-presidential candidate Trump spoke of eliminating state dinners in favor of burgers eaten at a conference table. He hasn't instituted that policy yet, but has kept such occasions to a minimum, even if the menu isn't to his taste. A 2018 dinner held in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off with goat cheese gateau and tomato jam; roast rack of lamb in onion sauce with jambalaya; and finished with a dessert of nectarine tarts and crème fraîche ice cream. More recently, a 2025 dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman featured pistachio-crusted roast lamb in pomegranate-lemon sauce as the main course; sides were broccoli rabe and sweet potato puree; while the appetizer was honeynut squash soup with hazelnuts and cranberry relish. Dessert consisted of chocolate-covered pear mousse with vanilla ice cream.

A 2017 Mar-A-Lago dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping, however, was much simpler. It began with Caesar salad; followed by a choice of Dover sole or New York strip steak; and a dessert of either chocolate cake with chocolate sorbet, or a trio of fruit sorbets. This kind of meal seems much more in line with Trump's meat and potatoes preferences.