Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The fire and fury of Trump’s diet

Shivam Joshi, MD
Physician
February 13, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

As a physician, I am totally disgusted by what President Donald Trump eats — and you should be too. His standing order on Trump Force One is reminiscent of a fast-food bacchanalia, comprised of “two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate malted” according to the recently released book by his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and top aide David Bossie.

But it doesn’t stop there: Trump has done away with any semblance of healthy eating and allowed his id to guide his dietary decisions. The authors go on to write, “On Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza and Diet Coke.”

Much like the rest of his presidency, Trump’s dietary choices are unrestrained and rushed. Rife with calories, sugar, and fat, these foods are naturally appealing and inherently unhealthful.

Consequently, as a physician, I am genuinely concerned about his health. His dietary choices, although embodying a dietary Americana, are the building blocks for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and so many other diseases that litter our healthcare system.

We should learn from experience. Wolfing down burgers with ease, former President Bill Clinton also shared a similar hunger for the unhealthiest of culinary options, which led him to have crushing chest pain from severe heart disease. It wasn’t until 2010, after having a quadruple bypass and two cardiac stents, that he experienced a dietary revelation and became vegan, a dietary practice that has been shown to reverse heart disease.

Not surprisingly, President Trump also puts himself at risk for heart disease. During the campaign, the assessment of his health that Trump revealed to the public was the letter his gastroenterologist produced. In it, we are told his “cardiovascular status is excellent” but paradoxically he is also on “aspirin daily and a low dose statin.” As a physician, I typically put someone on an aspirin and a statin if they are at risk for having (or have had) a heart attack, stroke or significant heart disease like Clinton had.

These medications carry their own set of risks, like bleeding and muscle cramps, and would only be prescribed if their benefits outweighed the risks, suggesting that he has a good reason to be on it, which isn’t surprising given his diet.

Dietary saturated fat and cholesterol can raise blood cholesterol levels, which increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. Although we don’t know the reason he is on these medications, we do know that a single fatty meal can negatively affect arterial function and, when repeated over a lifetime, can lead to heart disease.

And taking the medications doesn’t guarantee total immunity from disease. In a major study using the same statin that Trump takes, rosuvastatin, those taking the medication continued to have heart attacks and strokes, albeit at a significantly lower rate had they not been on the medication.

His diet could put him at risk for a panoply of other diseases. When discussing Trump’s proclivity for McDonald’s sandwiches, Lewandowski comically told CNN that “he never ate the bread, which is the important part.” Despite not eating the bread, Trump still ate an uncomfortable amount of red meat and fried fish, which have been shown to increase the risk of colon cancer and heart failure, respectively. Not to mention, increased diet soda consumption has been tied metabolic syndrome and diabetes. What Trump doesn’t eat is just as dangerous as what he does eat. Photos abound of him eating fried chicken, burgers, hot dogs, and pizza, but nobody has found a photo of him eating a fruit or a vegetable.

Who knows? Maybe he eats his carrots in secrecy, but something tells me that its highly unlikely that Trump is part of the 9 percent of the American populace that meets the federal recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake.

Trump’s cuisine is concerning on many levels. As a society, we go to great lengths to protect our president from those who wish to do him harm, yet he is allowed to eat the unhealthiest foods a society can concoct. He is surrounded by a cadre of secret service agents at all times but is left open to his own dietary self-destruction.

Trump’s diet, which is so deftly American, may be his tragic flaw. Worse, as president, Trump is the leader for a nation, setting the plate-quite literally-for what the rest of America could be eating. Trump could use the opportunity to eat an apple and thereby inspire others to do the same. Yet, he doesn’t.

ADVERTISEMENT

Looking at it another way, Trump may be the reflection of an American populace that we have long-ignored, a mirror of the average American. What we see on his plate is what we’ve been eating all along. No matter how you look at it, Trump or not, the standard American diet leads to the standard American diseases — and that’s cause for concern.

Shivam Joshi is a nephrology fellow. He can be reached on Twitter @sjoshiMD and on Facebook. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

In defense of FOX's The Resident

February 13, 2018 Kevin 3
…
Next

Dear Mom and Dad: Are you calling your pediatrician's office too often?

February 13, 2018 Kevin 5
…

Tagged as: Obesity, Washington Watch

Post navigation

< Previous Post
In defense of FOX's The Resident
Next Post >
Dear Mom and Dad: Are you calling your pediatrician's office too often?

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Shivam Joshi, MD

  • A physician’s warning on the keto diet

    Shivam Joshi, MD
  • President Trump: Stop focusing on insurance and focus on health

    Shivam Joshi, MD
  • Think we evolved to eat meat? Think again.

    Shivam Joshi, MD

Related Posts

  • Bias when treating supporters of President Trump

    Anonymous
  • Supporters of Obamacare should consider this Trump proposal

    Robert Laszewski
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • The Trump administration is systematically undermining women’s reproductive rights

    Monica Agarwal, MD, Alexa Lindley, MD and Emily Godfrey, MD
  • Don’t underestimate the appeal of a Trump “health plan”

    Bob Doherty
  • Recognize the Trump that lies within each of us and try to heal him

    Beck Ballentine, MD

More in Physician

  • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

    Dr. Daryna Bahriy
  • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • Why more doctors are choosing direct care over traditional health care

    Grace Torres-Hodges, DPM, MBA
  • How to handle chronically late patients in your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

    Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

      Dr. Daryna Bahriy | Physician
    • Why Grok 4 could be the next leap for HIPAA-compliant clinical AI

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What a childhood stroke taught me about the future of neurosurgery and the promise of vagus nerve stimulation

      William J. Bannon IV | Conditions
    • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 19 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

      Dr. Daryna Bahriy | Physician
    • Why Grok 4 could be the next leap for HIPAA-compliant clinical AI

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What a childhood stroke taught me about the future of neurosurgery and the promise of vagus nerve stimulation

      William J. Bannon IV | Conditions
    • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

The fire and fury of Trump’s diet
19 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...