Working in the White House kitchen sounds like a dream job, right? You get to cook for the most powerful person in the world, work in a historic building, and probably have some pretty interesting stories to tell. But according to one chef who served four different presidents, not all commanders-in-chief are created equal when it comes to their eating habits. Andre Rush, who worked in the White House during the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, recently opened up about his experiences cooking for different presidents. His verdict might surprise you, or maybe it won’t if you’ve been paying attention to Trump’s very public love affair with fast food and Diet Coke.
Obama was the easiest president to cook for
When Andre Rush talks about his time in the White House kitchen, he lights up discussing the Obama years. The reason was pretty simple and actually kind of wholesome. The Obamas had installed a garden on the White House grounds, and they wanted their meals to come straight from that garden whenever possible. For a chef, this was basically a dream scenario because it meant working with fresh, seasonal ingredients and having the freedom to get creative with whatever was growing at the time.
The garden approach meant Rush and his team could explore different recipes and cooking styles based on what was available. One week might be all about tomatoes and peppers, another might feature leafy greens and herbs. This kind of cooking keeps things interesting for the chef and usually results in healthier, more varied meals for the people eating them. It’s the kind of situation where everyone wins, and Rush clearly appreciated the creative freedom that came with serving the Obama family.
Trump’s diet was completely black and white
If Obama was the easiest president to cook for, Trump was the exact opposite. Rush described the experience as frustrating because there wasn’t much room for creativity or variation. Trump and his wife Melania knew what they liked, and they stuck to it without much interest in trying new things. For someone who spent their career learning different cooking techniques and exploring different ingredients, this was like being asked to paint with only two colors. Rush specifically mentioned that cooking for Trump was “black and white” with no middle ground.
The lack of variety wasn’t just about the types of food Trump wanted. It extended to how those foods were prepared and served. When you’re a trained chef who wants to showcase your skills and create interesting meals, being limited to such a narrow range of options can feel pretty restricting. Rush explained that Trump’s preferences left little room for the kind of fun and exploration that makes cooking exciting. This rigid approach to meals made Trump the hardest president Rush had to work with during his time at the White House.
The Diet Coke button was absolutely real
You might have heard the story about Trump having a button on his desk that he could press to summon a butler with a Diet Coke. It sounds almost too ridiculous to be true, like something out of a comedy sketch about an over-the-top wealthy person. But when Andre Rush was asked about it directly during his interview, he confirmed it with just two words that say everything. The button was real, and yes, Trump used it regularly to get his preferred beverage delivered to him throughout the day.
The Diet Coke situation goes deeper than just having a button, though. According to Rush, Trump drinks soda constantly, basically around the clock. He’s known for not drinking water at all, sticking exclusively to his soda habit instead. Rush estimates that Trump drinks Diet Coke all day, every day, which is a pretty significant amount of artificial sweeteners and caffeine. Trump himself has apparently said it hasn’t hurt him yet, but Rush noted that’s a common thing people say right up until it does hurt them. The constant soda consumption was one of the things Rush identified as a real challenge when thinking about Trump’s overall health.
Trump doesn’t actually snack like most people
Here’s something that might surprise you about Trump’s eating habits. Despite his well-known love of burgers and fast food, he apparently doesn’t snack in the traditional sense. Most people working long days in stressful jobs tend to graze throughout the day, grabbing handfuls of nuts or candy or whatever’s nearby to keep their energy up. Trump doesn’t do this at all. Rush said he just goes and goes and goes without stopping to munch on anything between meals.
This is actually pretty unusual behavior, especially for someone who’s constantly busy and dealing with high-stress situations. Most presidents have been known to keep bowls of snacks around, whether it’s jelly beans, M&Ms, or almonds. Trump apparently skips all of that entirely. He sticks to his regular meals and his constant stream of Diet Coke, but there’s no casual snacking happening throughout the day. This non-snacking habit is one of the few things about Trump’s eating routine that might actually work in his favor, since mindless snacking is where a lot of people rack up extra calories without even thinking about it.
Chefs had to manipulate Trump’s food to make it healthier
Given Trump’s limited diet and his refusal to drink water, Rush and other White House chefs had to get creative. They couldn’t just tell the president what to eat, obviously. So instead, they developed strategies to sneak healthier options into the foods Trump already liked. Rush called this “manipulating his diet,” which sounds kind of devious but is actually a pretty smart approach. The idea was to make small changes that Trump might not even notice but that would add some nutritional value to his meals.
For example, if Trump wanted a burger, Rush might mix turkey into the ground beef to reduce the fat content. Instead of regular pork bacon, he’d use beef bacon which is supposedly crispier and has less fat. Sweet potato fries could replace regular fries, or Rush might make vegetable fries with a homemade dipping sauce. These weren’t huge changes, but they were ways to inch Trump’s diet in a better direction without completely overhauling what he was eating. Rush emphasized that you had to be careful about this approach, though. You couldn’t just start serving completely different food right away. You had to build trust first and then gradually introduce these modifications.
Trump’s reputation for unhealthy eating isn’t completely accurate
Despite all the photos of Trump eating McDonald’s on his private plane and the endless Diet Coke consumption, Rush insists that Trump does try to eat healthy at least some of the time. The problem is that people only see what gets shared on social media, and those posts tend to show the most extreme examples of his fast food habits. According to Rush, there’s a side of Trump’s eating habits that the public doesn’t see, where he does make an effort to choose better options or at least considers his food choices.
Rush pointed out that Bill Clinton also ate plenty of burgers during his time in office, but Trump seems to get more criticism for his diet than other presidents did. Part of this might be because Trump himself has been so public about his love of fast food, posting about it and talking about it in interviews. When you combine that with his age and the stress of being president, people naturally worry about whether his eating habits are sustainable. Rush’s point is that while Trump’s diet isn’t perfect by any stretch, it’s maybe not quite as bad as the public perception would suggest, at least not all the time.
Getting Trump to drink water required creative solutions
One of Rush’s biggest concerns about Trump’s diet wasn’t actually the food at all. It was the complete absence of water. When someone is living off soda around the clock, their body isn’t getting the hydration it needs from plain water. This becomes even more important as someone gets older, and Trump is now 78 years old, eight years older than when he first took office. Rush knew that if he were cooking for Trump again, addressing the water situation would have to be a priority.
His solution was pretty clever and actually based on how parents sometimes get their kids to drink more water. Rush suggested adding natural flavorings to Trump’s water, whether that’s orange, lime, or lemon. The idea is that if the water has some taste to it, Trump might be more likely to drink it instead of reaching for another Diet Coke. It’s a simple trick, but it could make a real difference in terms of overall hydration. Rush described this as making the water “go down quicker,” which is exactly the goal. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective, and adding flavor to water is something anyone can do at home if they’re trying to drink more water themselves.
You can’t just change what the president eats
Here’s something that Rush made really clear in his interview. You can’t just walk into the White House kitchen and start serving the president whatever you think they should eat. Especially with a new administration coming in, the chefs have to tread carefully and build a relationship first. Rush explained that you have to be “political” about the whole thing, which makes sense when you think about it. The president is your boss, and you need to understand their preferences and personality before you start taking risks with their food.
The strategy Rush described involves getting to know the president on a deeper level first. Once you understand why they eat what they eat and what they’re used to, then you can start making small changes. If Trump wants a taco salad or salmon, you make it the way he likes it at first. Then gradually, as trust builds, you can say things like “I think he’ll like it better this way” and introduce healthier modifications. You might add an extra vegetable to the plate that wasn’t requested, or swap out an ingredient for something better. But you have to earn the right to make those changes by proving yourself first. It’s a delicate balance between giving the president what they want and trying to improve their diet over time.
Trump’s diet becomes more important as he gets older
Rush made a point of noting that Trump’s age is a significant factor now. At 78 years old, Trump is considerably older than he was during his first term, and that age difference matters when it comes to diet and overall health. The job of president is incredibly demanding and stressful, and Trump has said he has a lot to prove during this second term. That combination of high stress, long hours, and advancing age means that what Trump eats becomes even more important than it was eight years ago.
This is why Rush emphasized that he would try to incorporate as many healthy foods as possible if he were serving in Trump’s kitchen during this next term. The stakes are higher now, and the margin for error is smaller when someone is approaching 80 years old. Rush’s approach of gradually introducing healthier options, making sure Trump stays hydrated, and finding creative ways to improve his meals without completely changing them seems like a reasonable strategy. Whether Trump’s actual White House chefs will take this approach remains to be seen, but Rush’s advice is based on years of experience cooking for presidents and understanding how to work within the constraints of their preferences while still looking out for their wellbeing.
Cooking for the president isn’t just about making food taste good. It’s about understanding psychology, building relationships, and sometimes getting creative with how you present healthier options. Andre Rush’s experience with four different presidents shows that each person in the White House has their own quirks and preferences, and adapting to those while still doing your job well requires patience and strategy. Whether Trump’s eating habits will change during his second term is anyone’s guess, but at least now we know what the people making his food are up against.
