How Bad Is Donald Trump’s Diet? Controversial Physician Added Cauliflower To Mashed Potatoes To Help Him Lose Weight

A former White House doctor has revealed the strange measures he took to improve President Trump’s notoriously poor diet. In an interview with the New York Times, controversial physician Ronny L. Jackson revealed that, in addition to working on an exercise plan and cutting down on ice cream, he also snuck cauliflower into mashed potatoes in order to help Trump lose weight.

“The exercise stuff never took off as much as I wanted it to,” Jackson said. “But we were working on his diet. We were making the ice cream less accessible, we were putting cauliflower into the mashed potatoes.”

A White House physical in February 2019 reported that Trump weighed 243 pounds, making him obese.

Prior to a trip to India, CNN reported that a person close Trump, who has dined with him on several occasions, said Trump would occasionally eat a salad but had "never seen him eat a vegetable."

Jackson, meanwhile, is currently running for Congress in Texas’ 13th District and despite the less-than-flattering things he has said about Trump's diet, he has often played up his relationship with Trump while campaigning.

After Trump nominated Jackson in March 2018 to serve as a Secretary of Veteran Affairs, 23 current and former White House medical staffers accused him of creating a hostile work environment, excessively drinking on the job and improperly dispensing medication. The allegations included citing the nickname "Candyman," because Jackson would provide prescription drugs without paperwork.

Jackson would later withdraw himself from consideration for the position.

In his capacity as White House physician, Jackson said in 2018 that he would work to help Trump lose 10-to-15 pounds. He also planned to install exercise equipment in the White House to get Trump into a proper exercise routine.

Jackson, 52, served as a physician under three presidents. He gained notoriety for his report on Trump’s health following a physical in early 2018. At the time, Jackson made grandiose claims about Trump's health, including that he had “incredibly good genes” and would “live to be 200 years old” with the right diet.

There have long been concerns about Trump's diet. CNN reported that Trump would eat for dinner, "two Big Macs, two Filet-o-Fish sandwiches and a chocolate milkshake" but would not eat the bread.

Trump's typical McDonald's meal contained "nearly a day's worth of calories and sodium, almost double the recommended daily dose of saturated fat and 2½ times the sugar he should eat in a day," according to U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

Trump’s proclivity for junk food has been well-documented over the years.

Trump, 73, has favored fast food like McDonald’s, though he will also eat well-done steaks and mashed potatoes. There have been reports that Trump has paranoid beliefs that his meals might be poisoned and chooses the hamburger chain because the meals are pre-made.

In January 2019, Trump hosted college football champion Clemson Tigers at the White House with a spread of McDonald’s menu items.