You’d think the most powerful person in the world would have some refined, exclusive dessert preference. Maybe a custom soufflé from a Michelin-starred chef. Perhaps a family recipe passed down through generations. But no. Donald Trump’s favorite dessert is cherry vanilla ice cream — a flavor so uncommon that it doesn’t even crack the top rankings of America’s most popular ice cream flavors. And that’s just the beginning of his very strange relationship with sweets.
Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Is a Genuinely Odd Pick
Trump first revealed his love for cherry vanilla ice cream in a 2010 interview with US Weekly, and it wasn’t some offhand comment. He’s stuck with it. The flavor showed up on the menu at his 2017 inauguration dinner, served alongside a chocolate soufflé. It was reportedly also served to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit. When the president of the United States picks a dessert flavor for international diplomacy, you know he means it.
Here’s the thing — cherry vanilla is a genuinely niche pick. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, chocolate chip ranks in the top 10 most popular ice cream flavors in the country. Cherry alone comes in at number 16. Cherry vanilla doesn’t even make the list. Compare that to Joe Biden, whose favorite flavor is chocolate chip — about as mainstream as it gets. Trump’s choice is the ice cream equivalent of ordering a well-done steak at a steakhouse. Speaking of which…
The Two-Scoop Rule That Became National News
During Trump’s first term, a detail leaked from a White House dinner that turned into a surprisingly persistent news story. When dessert was served — chocolate cream pie with ice cream — every guest at the table received one scoop of ice cream. Trump got two scoops. His staff apparently knew this was the standing order. The two-scoop thing became a minor media obsession, with cable news segments and endless social media jokes. Whether you think it’s a power move, a quirky habit, or just a guy who really likes ice cream, it became one of the defining food details of his presidency.
The same thing happened when TIME Magazine profiled Trump over dinner. All his guests were given a single scoop of cherry vanilla. Trump? Two scoops. Every time. It’s consistent enough that White House staff reportedly just built it into the protocol.
He Has His Own Ice Cream Shop (With Terrible Reviews)
Trump doesn’t just eat ice cream — he sells it. Trump Sweets is an ice cream parlor located in the Trump Tower atrium in New York City. The Trump Organization owns the building’s retail operations, and the shop offers 24 different flavors including, naturally, cherry vanilla. You can get it by the cone, cup, shake, or sundae. It sounds fancy enough, but there’s a catch. The shop’s Yelp rating sits at just 2.5 stars. Reviewers are split — some think it’s overpriced for what you get, while at least one enthusiastic customer swore the cherry vanilla was the one flavor worth trying. Make of that what you will.
The Seven-Layer Chocolate Cake at Mar-a-Lago
Cherry vanilla ice cream might be the official answer, but at Mar-a-Lago, there’s another dessert that Trump has made famous: a seven-layer chocolate cake. Cedric Barberet, the resort’s former pastry chef, shared the recipe with Inside Edition and even demonstrated how to make it at his own restaurant, Bistro Barberet, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The cake involves a meringue base with egg whites, granulated sugar, egg yolks, powdered sugar, and cacao powder, baked at high heat. The filling is a rich mix of milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, whipped cream, 64% Guayaquil chocolate, and gelatin. It’s a serious pastry project.
Trump famously served this cake to Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2017 while they discussed U.S. airstrikes on Syria. Trump described the moment on Fox Business: “We’re now having dessert. And we had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen and President Xi was enjoying it.” The juxtaposition of “beautiful chocolate cake” and “missile strikes” became one of the more surreal moments of modern presidential history.
Mar-a-Lago itself charges a $200,000 initiation fee — double what it cost before Trump’s first inauguration — plus $14,000 a year, with members expected to spend thousands more on food. According to at least one gossip columnist, the food might not be worth the price tag.
“Bring Me the Poison” — Trump’s Candy Habit
Beyond ice cream and cake, Trump has a full-blown candy habit that his inner circle knows well. According to journalist Michael Wolff’s book about Trump’s 2024 campaign, Trump keeps a bowl of candy near the Oval Office and summons it with the phrase “Bring me the poison.” Presidential aides are apparently on candy duty, ready to deliver the bowl whenever the mood strikes.
The bowl currently contains Hershey’s Miniatures, Laffy Taffy, and Tootsie Rolls. A former senior aide told Rolling Stone flatly: “He eats a ton of candy.” A White House official described his consumption as “an insane amount of candy — just so much candy.” He’s reportedly had sugary treats on hand while overseeing military operations and high-stakes situations.
The Starburst Incident With Angela Merkel
In 2018, at the G7 summit, Trump tossed two pieces of Starburst candy to then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and said, “Don’t say I never give you anything.” This actually happened. It was reported by multiple outlets and became one of those diplomatic anecdotes that sounds made up but isn’t.
Trump is picky about his Starbursts, too. Former House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy noticed that when Trump reached into a bowl of the chewy candy, he only pulled out two flavors: cherry and strawberry. McCarthy, ever the political operator, bought a large supply of Starbursts and had a staffer sort through them, placing only the cherry and strawberry ones in a jar with McCarthy’s name on it. The jar was delivered to Trump, who was reportedly grinning when he received it. Say what you want about the gesture — it worked. McCarthy and Trump had a close working relationship for years afterward.
Pink Starbursts and Tootsie Rolls Are the Official Favorites
In May 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump’s candy preferences at an event for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. When a child asked about the president’s daily candy intake, Leavitt described it as a “good amount” and said his favorites are pink Starbursts and Tootsie Rolls. She also mentioned that he enjoys ice cream sundaes with chocolate sauce and a “big, beautiful steak.”
During a March 2025 meeting with Reaganite economist Art Laffer, Trump reportedly asked Laffer if he liked Tootsie Rolls, then flipped two of them across the Oval Office desk. He followed up by asking about Milk Duds and slipped him a tiny box. Laffer also ended up with some caramels. This was during an hourlong meeting about economic policy, weeks before Trump launched a major trade war. The man was discussing tariffs and throwing candy.
From Oreos to Vienna Fingers — Even His Cookies Are Political
Air Force One used to be stocked with multiple packages of Oreos for Trump. The cookies apparently satisfied both his sweet tooth and his well-documented germ phobia — sealed packages meant no one had tampered with the food. But Trump eventually swore off Oreos after their production moved to Mexico, switching instead to vanilla-flavored Keebler Vienna Fingers. When an aide was once asked if Trump had ever opted for fruit and nuts as a snack, the response was blunt: “Never seen it.”
Trump also snacks on See’s Candies, the old-school chocolate company that makes toffees, lollipops, and boxed chocolates. He replaced Obama’s healthy nut stash in the White House with Lay’s Potato Chips. And he believes his fast food habits — Big Macs, KFC, Filet-O-Fish sandwiches he calls “Fish Delight” — make him relatable to regular Americans while also protecting him from being poisoned by political enemies.
The Bigger Picture of Trump’s Sweet Tooth
What makes Trump’s dessert habits strange isn’t any single choice — it’s the whole package. A president who demands two scoops while everyone else gets one. A billionaire who flips Tootsie Rolls across the Resolute Desk during policy meetings. A world leader who hands Starbursts to foreign heads of state and calls his candy bowl “the poison.” A man who boycotted Diet Coke over voting laws after reportedly drinking 12 cans a day and having a special request button for it installed in the Oval Office.
Cherry vanilla ice cream is just the entry point. Trump’s entire relationship with sweets is a weird, entertaining, and occasionally diplomatically consequential part of his presidency. No other commander-in-chief has weaponized Starbursts, served ice cream to dictators, or had aides specifically assigned to candy delivery. Love him or hate him, the man’s dessert game is one of a kind.
