Presidents have always had their food quirks, from Thomas Jefferson’s mac and cheese obsession to Barack Obama’s love of nachos. But when it comes to Donald Trump’s eating habits, things get a little more dramatic. According to a book about life at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s fury over a Caesar salad was so intense that it reportedly cost a chef his job the very next day. The story sounds almost too wild to believe, but it fits perfectly with what we know about Trump’s very particular relationship with food and the people who prepare it.
The incident that got a chef sent packing
Bernard Goupy was working as the head chef at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, when the incident happened. He had been serving Caesar salads in fancy Parmesan cheese bowls, which sounds pretty impressive if you ask most people. One day, Trump stormed into the kitchen absolutely livid because one of his guests apparently didn’t like the salad. Instead of having a calm conversation about it, Trump started yelling and physically demonstrating what he considered the “proper” way to make a Caesar salad by throwing lettuce and tomatoes into a regular bowl.
What makes this story even more interesting is that Goupy didn’t just stand there and take it. When Trump was screaming that this is “how we make a Caesar salad where I come from,” Goupy shot back with “I didn’t know you were the new executive chef.” That comment didn’t go over well. Trump stormed out of the kitchen, and the next day, Goupy was told by the club’s general manager that Trump didn’t want to see him around anymore. The really strange part? The salad was apparently well-received by other guests, so this wasn’t even about quality.
Trump’s unusual way of firing people
Despite “You’re fired” becoming Trump’s famous catchphrase from The Apprentice, people who actually worked for him say he rarely fires anyone directly. Billy Procida, who was a vice president for the Trump Organization in the early 1990s, said he never once heard Trump say those words to anyone in real life. Instead, Trump makes it very clear that he doesn’t want you there anymore, and you’re expected to get the message and leave on your own. In Goupy’s case, Trump had someone else deliver the bad news.
Barbara Res, who managed major projects for Trump including Trump Tower, confirmed this pattern. She explained that Trump doesn’t actually like firing people himself. He’ll make the work environment uncomfortable or have his deputies handle the actual termination. This is pretty ironic considering how his entire TV persona was built around being the tough boss who personally delivered the bad news. The reality show version of Trump and the actual boss version turned out to be two very different people.
Why Trump prefers fast food over fancy meals
Trump’s reaction to the Caesar salad makes a lot more sense when you understand his overall approach to food. The man is famously obsessed with McDonald’s, and according to reports, he was eating their menu items multiple times a day during the 2016 election campaign. His favorites include Big Macs, Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, and Egg McMuffins. His former butler even said that Trump calls vegetables and garnishes “garbage” and doesn’t want them anywhere near his steak, which he infamously eats well-done with ketchup.
There are a couple of theories about why Trump sticks to fast food so much. One claim is that he’s concerned about being poisoned and believes the consistent nature of fast food chains protects him from that risk. Another theory is that his preference for common, everyday food makes him seem more relatable to regular people. Whatever the real reason, it’s clear that Trump has very specific ideas about what food should be, and elaborate Caesar salads in Parmesan bowls definitely don’t fit his vision.
What a proper Caesar salad actually includes
Caesar salads aren’t exactly complicated, which makes Trump’s explosive reaction even stranger. The classic version consists of Romaine lettuce, croutons, and a dressing made with Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, and egg yolks. Some versions add Parmesan cheese shavings on top. That’s pretty much it. What Goupy was doing with the Parmesan cheese bowl was just a fancier presentation of the same basic ingredients.
The salad was invented in the 1920s by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who owned a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. It became popular in Hollywood and eventually spread across America. The fancy Parmesan bowl presentation that Goupy used is actually a pretty common upscale restaurant technique. But Trump apparently wanted his Caesar salad simple and straightforward, just like his burgers and fries. When you’re someone who considers vegetables to be garbage, even a relatively simple salad might seem too fancy.
The chef who talked back and paid the price
Most people in Goupy’s position probably would have just nodded along while their boss ranted about salad. But Goupy made the decision to push back with a sarcastic comment about Trump becoming the new executive chef. That kind of response takes guts, especially when you’re talking to someone as powerful and temperamental as Trump. According to the account in the book “Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump’s Presidential Palace,” Trump was absolutely furious after Goupy’s comment.
The interesting part is what happened to Goupy after he got fired. He didn’t end up struggling to find work or anything like that. Instead, he went on to cook for Celine Dion, which is hardly a downgrade in terms of high-profile clients. This suggests that other people in the industry didn’t see the incident as a reflection of Goupy’s skills or professionalism. Sometimes standing up for yourself, even if it costs you a job in the moment, works out fine in the end.
How Trump’s management style affects his staff
Andre Rush, a former White House chef who cooked for Trump during his first term, talked about how incredibly particular the president was about his food. Rush explained that if you wanted to make any changes to Trump’s meals, you had to be strategic about it. You couldn’t just charge in and start serving him different things. You had to approach it carefully and politically, which is a pretty unusual requirement when you’re just trying to do your job as a chef.
People who worked with Trump over the years describe him as both a micromanager and someone who sometimes completely checks out. He’ll get intensely involved in small details one minute, then ignore major issues the next. He’s known for being loyal to employees who stick with him, calling himself a “loyalty freak,” but that loyalty evaporates quickly if you do something he doesn’t like. The unpredictability seems to be a core part of how he operates, whether he’s running a hotel, a TV show, or a presidential campaign.
Trump’s complicated relationship with tacos and Mexican food
While the Caesar salad incident shows Trump’s distaste for fancy preparations, his relationship with Mexican food is equally complicated. Back in 2016, Trump posted a photo of himself with a giant taco salad on Cinco de Mayo, declaring “I Love Hispanics!” The post was immediately criticized as pandering, with Latino leaders calling it offensive and clueless. One leader even complained that no self-respecting Latino would consider a taco bowl part of their culture.
What’s funny is that taco salads actually were invented by a Mexican American family at Disneyland’s old Casa de Fritos stand, so there is some legitimate cultural connection there. Trump reposted the same taco salad photo nine years later, calling it “wonderful.” But more recently, he got extremely angry when a reporter asked him about the Wall Street acronym “TACO,” which stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” He called it a nasty question and clearly couldn’t laugh it off the way he usually appropriates insults directed at him.
What the salad story reveals about workplace dynamics
The Caesar salad incident isn’t just about one bad day in a kitchen. It shows how power dynamics work in high-pressure environments where one person has complete authority. Goupy was hired as an expert to do a specific job, but that expertise didn’t matter the moment Trump decided he knew better. This happens in workplaces everywhere, though usually without the screaming and next-day firing. When bosses overstep into areas where their employees are supposed to be the experts, it creates tension and resentment.
The fact that Trump demonstrated his preferred method by literally throwing ingredients into a bowl while yelling is particularly telling. He wasn’t interested in having a professional discussion about presentation styles or guest preferences. He wanted to physically show that his way was right and Goupy’s way was wrong. For someone who built a brand around being a decisive executive, Trump’s actual management approach often seems more emotional than strategic. The salad had to be made his way, regardless of whether it was objectively better or worse.
The price of working for demanding bosses
Jobs at exclusive clubs and high-end establishments often come with difficult bosses, but there’s usually some level of professional boundaries. The Mar-a-Lago salary was probably good, and having that kind of place on your resume can open doors. But is it worth dealing with someone who might barge into your workspace and scream at you over something as minor as salad presentation? That’s the calculation every employee has to make when working for demanding, unpredictable employers.
What’s interesting is that the book describing this incident doesn’t mention if anyone ever confirmed whether Trump’s simple version of Caesar salad actually tasted better or if guests preferred it. The whole episode seems to have been about Trump asserting dominance and control rather than genuinely improving the food. Goupy probably looks back on the incident with mixed feelings. Getting fired is never fun, but he escaped a toxic work environment and still managed to build a successful career. Sometimes the trash takes itself out, even if it feels terrible in the moment.
The Caesar salad firing story might seem like a minor footnote in Trump’s long career, but it perfectly captures his approach to everything from business to politics. When something doesn’t match his vision, no matter how arbitrary that vision might be, someone’s going to pay the price. Whether it’s a chef at Mar-a-Lago or staff members on a presidential campaign, the pattern stays consistent. At least Goupy got a good story out of it, along with a new job cooking for a music superstar.
