Donald Trump's Picky Eating Habits Forced His Doctor To Hide Vegetables In His Food

President Donald Trump has earned a reputation for rarely eating whole foods. (His go-to McDonald's order packs a high caloric punch without many health benefits.) Essentially, his diet is so filled with fast foods that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, called it "poison" (via USA Today).

However, a former physician who treated Trump admitted that he found a way to get Trump to eat his vegetables by hiding them in plain sight. Dr. Ronny Jackson told The New York Times in 2020 that after "the exercise stuff never took off," he and other White House staff team members resorted to putting cauliflower in Trump's mashed potatoes.

The idea of masking vegetables within other dishes to encourage people who don't like veggies to consume them is hardly a novel strategy. Parents have used the tactic for generations to ensure their kids get plenty of key nutrients. After all, not everyone likes the taste, texture, or smell of raw or cooked vegetables — and it's not just children who turn up their noses at plated plants. In a 2019 survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by frozen food company Dr. Praeger's, 25% said they never ate any vegetables — ever (via news.com.au).

Speaking with The Palm Beach Post in 2016, Trump's former Mar-a-Lago butler, Tony Senecal, admitted that Trump referred to vegetables as "garbage" food. (With that said, Trump has occasionally been seen eating salads, and his Mar-a-Lago Club resort menu apparently included a salad offering named after the U.S. president.)

What's particularly fascinating about Trump's veggie dessert diet is that Dr. Jackson agreed that Trump was in decent shape for his age. Indeed, Trump's physical report issued in 2025 by the White House noted that he "remains in excellent health." In 2018, Dr. Jackson reportedly credited "good genes" for Trump's generally positive medical history (via Newsweek). 

Still, eating limited amounts of vegetables isn't recommended as a long-term habit for most people because it can be harmful. According to a 2021 review in Circulation, individuals who don't eat enough produce risk an increased likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other common conditions.

Interestingly, two of Trump's closest family members have adopted veggie-friendly attitudes and transformative eating habits: Ivanka, his daughter, and Melania, his wife. 

In 2015, when Ivanka was pregnant and craving sweets, she opted to make a chocolate mousse recipe with avocado as a primary ingredient, along with dates and bananas (via Instagram). But Ivanka doesn't make it a practice to hide the look or flavor of vegetables. On the contrary, she co-founded a produce non-profit called Planet Harvest that's designed to support American agriculture and champion the goal of having enough healthy, farm-based food for all.

Meanwhile, although the First Lady reportedly starts her day with smoothies containing spinach, carrots, and celery, she's not necessarily all-in with all vegetables. Specifically, she just doesn't embrace artichokes or onions, which she revealed in a 2005 interview with Martha Stewart.