What Could Happen To Your Body If You Copy Donald Trump's Diet

Since Donald Trump entered the political spotlight, his diet has raised many eyebrows, mainly for its shocking lack of nutritional balance. For instance, Trump reportedly eats fast food regularly, has called vegetables "garbage," and drinks up to a dozen cans of diet Coke daily.

But what would happen to your body if you followed the Trump diet plan for a few months? The short answer: Your experiment may end up putting your health in jeopardy, as it likely means consuming a lot of sodium, some saturated fats, and little fiber. Plus, you could end up with poor gut health.

Let's start by evaluating the effects of eating food from McDonald's, one of Trump's favorite fast food places. In the past, Trump's go-to McDonald's order has included Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and Big Macs. On the positive side, a Filet-O-Fish contains 16 grams of protein, just 4 grams of saturated fat, and 60 milligrams of calcium. However, it's low on fiber and high on sodium (1 gram and 580 milligrams, respectively). But it's arguably more nutrient-rich than a Big Mac.

Every Big Mac brings along a whopping 580 calories, as well as 11 grams of saturated fat, more than 1,000 milligrams of sodium, and 85 milligrams of cholesterol. To be fair, the standard Big Mac packs 25 grams of protein and 120 milligrams of calcium into a single serving. But the trade-off may not outweigh its negatives.

Indeed, just the sodium alone in either sandwich is enough to raise eyebrows — and possibly blood pressure. Expert Dr. Brent Egan explains in an American Medical Association article that about 50% of people who have high blood pressure will see an increase after eating excess sodium, and those who don't could start to have high blood pressure from too much salt consumption. Said Dr. Egan, "[F]or people without high blood pressure, about one in four will have a significant increase in blood pressure when they go from a sort of normal or low sodium diet to a higher sodium diet."

The American Health Association suggests keeping your maximum amount of salt intake in a day to between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams. Trump hits that amount quickly by eating one Filet-O-Fish and one Big Mac. He sometimes eats two of each sandwich, causing his sodium intake to rise far beyond recommendations.

All that McDonald's could also throw off your gut microbiome (per The Conversation). After a young man ate McDonald's products — including Big Macs and soda — for 10 straight days, an evaluation of his gut bacteria found that his stomach bacteria levels had reduced by almost 40%, putting him at a greater risk of diabetes and obesity.

How about all those Diet Cokes? Even though they don't have calories, they aren't necessarily good for Trump or for you.

Registered dietitian Susan Campbell explained why when she discussed the downsides of diet sodas with Cleveland Clinic. "Research suggests that your body reacts to certain nonnutritive foods, including the artificial sweeteners in diet soda," she noted. These reactions could include weight gain through a higher intake of food calories, an increased chance of the development of diabetes, and enhanced cravings for sweets.

A White House memo from April 2026 doesn't show that the President's diet has caused him any high blood pressure or signs of diabetes. However, the report does seem to indicate that he's eating too many calories for his frame, given that his BMI makes him overweight.

With that said, the Trump administration's recently reintroduced food pyramid puts proteins and produce at the top and carbs at the bottom. Thus, copying Trump's diet means you'd be hard-pressed to meet the government's daily nutritional guidelines.