As Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gear up for their November contest for the White House, their selections for running mates are making headlines.
Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, just weeks after Trump selected Ohio Senator JD Vance to accompany him on the Republican ticket.
In spite of their contrasting political views, Vance and Walz share at least one common preference: a love for Diet Mountain Dew.
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“I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today, and I’m certain they’ll label that as racist too,” Vance, 40, remarked at a Virginia rally in July.
“But it tastes great.”
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, at left, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are both known to drink Diet Mountain Dew. (Drew Hallowell; Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Walz, 60, switched from alcohol to the diet soda following a 1995 reckless driving charge resulting from a failed sobriety test, as widely reported.
Breakfast cereal and gumbo
On her end, Harris appears to favor cereal for breakfast.
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She reportedly enjoys a bowl of raisin bran with almond milk in the morning, as mentioned in an interview with The Cut in 2018.
Additionally, Harris expressed her fondness for gumbo in an interview published on her YouTube channel last year.
Trump has been known to enjoy fried chicken, while Harris has expressed her “love” of gumbo in an interview. (iStock)
“I love gumbo,” she stated in the clip.
Ice cream obsession
President Joe Biden, 81, who opened the way for Harris by opting out of a new term, has openly shared his love for chocolate chip ice cream.
President Biden seen relishing a chocolate chip ice cream cone in Cleveland, May 2021. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
However, what are some favorite foods proclaimed by previous White House occupants over the years?
Here are a few highlights.
Fast food and soda cravings
Trump is known for indulging in fast food, famously treating the Clemson University football team to burgers from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King, along with pizza at the White House in 2019.
Former President Trump has been known to savor fried chicken (as shown in the inset) — and Vice President Kamala Harris has openly declared her love for gumbo. (Reuters; iStock; NRA)
While campaigning in 2016, Trump took to social media to share a snapshot of himself relishing fried chicken from a KFC bucket.
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He also reportedly enjoys Diet Coke, according to multiple former staff members.
Then-President Donald Trump offering fast food to the Clemson Tigers football team at the White House in 2019. (Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images)
Broccoli or not?
Former President Barack Obama cited broccoli as a cherished food, as reported by Reuters in 2013 — yet he didn’t mind indulging in a burger either.
During his presidency in 2009, Obama visited the now-defunct Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia, and ordered a medium-well cheddar cheeseburger served with spicy mustard, lettuce, and tomato.
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In contrast to Obama, former President George H.W. Bush had a strong aversion to broccoli and famously ridiculed the vegetable during a March 1990 press conference.
“I do not like broccoli, and I haven’t liked it since I was a little child, when my mother made me eat it,” he announced at the time.
Former President George H.W. Bush had a distaste for broccoli, while former President Barack Obama identified it as his favorite food. (Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images; iStock; Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“And as the President of the United States, I will not eat any more broccoli.”
Bush’s aversion later became a campaign issue for the wives of President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.
A photo from the 1992 campaign features Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore with Clinton holding broccoli next to a banner that says, “Let’s bring broccoli back to the White House!”
This aligned well with her husband’s present vegan lifestyle. Former President Bill Clinton had been a meat lover during his presidency but went on to adopt a vegan diet following emergency surgery in 2010, according to various reports.
Former President Bill Clinton has reportedly transitioned to a vegan diet, though he consumed meat during his time in the White House. He is pictured here on the campaign trail with running mate Al Gore and their wives, Tipper Gore and Hillary Clinton, at a Georgia produce stand. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)
Broccoli didn’t seem to faze Bush’s son, the 41st president of the United States.
“It’s alright. I’m not nearly as averse to it as my father. If we’re being honest, I kind of enjoy the top of the broccoli,” former President George W. Bush stated in 2004.
Huevos rancheros was a beloved Sunday morning dish for Bush 41, as noted by the former White House executive chef, Walter Scheib.
Jelly beans, chowder, and Texas okra
Former President Ronald Reagan famously kept a jar of jelly beans within arm’s reach in the Oval Office or on a table during Cabinet meetings throughout the 1980s.
A jar of jelly beans was often kept around President Ronald Reagan throughout his two terms in office. (iStock; Diana Walker/Getty Images)
Before his assassination in 1963, former President John F. Kennedy was known to relish creamy New England fish chowder, as noted by Rene Verdon, White House chef for Kennedy and later for Lyndon B. Johnson.
Johnson, who took over as commander-in-chief after JFK’s death, was known for his fondness for vegetables, which was highlighted in “The White House Family Cookbook,” first published in 1987.
Henry Haller, the longest-serving presidential chef in White House history, penned this book, revealing some of Johnson’s favorite delicacies, including the okra he enjoyed from his Texas ranch and his penchant for spinach, typically in a light soufflé.
Johnson was also known to enjoy bacon in bed with his spouse, Lady Bird Johnson.
Johnson frequently requested his guests to be served barbecue ribs during a party at the White House lawn after he announced he would not pursue reelection in 1968, as noted by Haller.
Steak as a meal ritual
William Howard Taft, the nation’s 27th president from 1909-1913, was reported to consume steak for every meal, according to former White House chief housekeeper Elizabeth Jaffray.
Taft would feast on a 12-ounce steak for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, Jaffray noted in her book “Secrets of the White House.”
Former President William Howard Taft enjoyed steak daily for all meals. (iStock; MPI/Getty Images)
However, he never paired his steak with eggs, according to the book.
“President Taft relished all types of food except for one: eggs,” Jaffray recorded.
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Eventually, the hefty Taft mandated a reduction in steak sizes from 12 ounces to 6, Jaffray stated.
Chicken for the win
Former President Abraham Lincoln was fond of corned beef and cornbread, but his first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, noted that his preferred dish was chicken fricassee.
President Abraham Lincoln was said to favor chicken fricassee. (iStock; Stock Montage/Getty Images)
Moreover, Lincoln was known to enjoy cooking, as narrated by Rae Katherine Eighmey in the book “Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen: A Culinary View of Lincoln’s Life and Times.”
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The narrative discusses ledgers from Lincoln’s grocery records prior to his presidency in Illinois and details how he ingeniously transformed a backyard grill into a cast-iron stove.
