THE ATLANTIC – Donald Trump is enamored with Coca-Cola.
In January, he smiled from ear to ear in a photo with the company’s CEO, who gifted him a special Coke bottle commemorating his inauguration.
When Trump officially returned to the Oval Office as president a few days later, his desk was already set up as it had been in his first term: with a button to summon a bottle of Diet Coke.
Between sips of the fizzy drink (at one point, he reportedly drank up to 12 cans a day), the president has apparently been working the company behind the scenes.
Yesterday, he announced on Truth Social that Coke has agreed to start making its signature soda with “REAL Cane Sugar” rather than high-fructose corn syrup. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola,” he wrote.
So far, little else is known about the supposed deal. I asked Coke for more information but did not hear back.
The company has yet to even confirm that it has agreed to anything at all. (“More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon,” a company spokesman told The New York Times earlier today.)
Although the move may seem random, it follows a pattern of Trump trying to score easy political points—especially during a moment when his base is at war with itself over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The clearest argument for cane sugar over corn syrup is taste.
“You’ll see. It’s just better!” Trump said on Truth Social. Coke is made with cane sugar in Mexico and many other countries, and “Mexican Coke” has long had a cult following in the United States.
Trump may also be doing the “Make America healthy again” movement a solid.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has focused on high-fructose corn syrup as a major contributor to diabetes and obesity …
