President Donald Trump’s well-known love for fast food, particularly McDonald’s, has once again made headlines after a new report highlighted the size of his typical order.
On January 1, The Wall Street Journal published a detailed exposé titled “As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance”. The report described how Trump insists he is in “perfect health,” refutes images suggesting he has dozed off in meetings, and attributes bruising on his hands to taking a higher-than-recommended daily dose of aspirin.
Near the end of the piece, the report touches on the president’s diet, noting that Trump has maintained his eating habits despite aging.
The Journal referenced an October 2025 podcast interview with Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, who recalled being surprised by the quantity of food Trump consumed while on the 2024 campaign trail.
Gruters said Trump had “hot fries waiting for him from McDonald’s. Then he had a Filet-O-Fish, a Quarter Pounder and a Big Mac.” He added, “I think he combined two of them.”
This account aligns with earlier reports of Trump’s fast food preferences, including the 2017 book Let Trump Be Trump by former aides David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski. The book described Trump ordering “two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate malted,” and noted that on Trump Force One, his diet included four major “food groups”: McDonald’s, KFC, pizza, and Diet Coke.
Trump’s preference for McDonald’s has also been linked to his self-professed germophobia. During a February 2016 CNN town hall with Anderson Cooper, he explained that he appreciated the cleanliness and consistency of nationwide chains: “I’m a very clean person. I like cleanliness… you’re better off going there than someplace you maybe have no idea where the food is coming from. It’s a certain standard. But I think the food is good.”
According to Bossie and Lewandowski, the Trump campaign plane was similarly stocked with packaged snacks — Vienna Fingers, Oreos, potato chips, and pretzels — because the president refused to eat from previously opened packages.
Trump’s love for McDonald’s also made appearances on the campaign trail during the 2024 election. On October 20, 2024, he visited a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, where he worked the drive-thru line, handing out orders and making fries himself. Speaking at the McDonald’s Impact Summit in November 2025, he recalled, “It was not that easy, but I got it sort of finally… it was very interesting.”
He added that over 25,000 people lined up to see him at the stop, which he said boosted his confidence in the final weeks of the campaign: “Almost like I knew I was gonna win when I saw that.”
The White House has not immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment regarding The Wall Street Journal’s characterization of Trump’s health.
