Bill Clinton And His Undying Love For This Fast Food Chain

The food preferences of presidents past and present are often used as a means of humanizing the person who sits behind the Resolute Desk. Ronald Reagan, for example, was known for his endearing love of jelly beans, Joe Biden's iconic (and constant) ice cream cravings spawned many the viral image, and Barack Obama had a soft spot for a lesser-known Chicago pizza style. However, there are some flies in this ointment. For example, Richard Nixon's comfort meal of ketchup and cottage cheese is confounding no matter the decade. But, for the most part, a president's food preferences can be a glimpse into the human element of a grandiose office. One of the most famously food-oriented presidents is Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States.

Clinton, who hales from Arkansas, brought a down home vibe to the White House during a decade of economic growth. He's known for a few things: his Southern drawl, his jogging routine, and his love of McDonald's. In fact, his adoration of McDonald's was so well known during his time as Arkansas governor that a plaque was installed at a Little Rick location he was known to frequent. His love of the burger chain also inspired an iconic Saturday Night Live skit, in which Phil Hartman plays the then president-elect. The skit shows Hartman as Clinton playing ever the people's politician at the fast food chain during a brief reprieve from a jog. Jabs are poked at scandals both past and emergent, but the sketch mostly shows just how alluring the food of McDonald's can be — even for the most powerful man in the world.

Bill Clinton isn't alone in his love for the Golden Arches. President Donald Trump is known to have quite a hankering for the chain's Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, vanilla milkshake, and, of course, its famously crispy Diet Coke. However, it seems that, for Clinton at least, his days of post-jog McDonald's visits may be over. He largely stopped dining at the chain following an operation on his heart in 2010. Following his operation, Clinton began a plant-based vegan diet, which he credited for helping improve his cardiovascular health.

Clinton did return to the chain in 2024, this time to help then presidential nominee Kamala Harris campaign in the state of Georgia. He visited a local McDonald's and spoke with a cashier who was at first confused, then awestruck by the former president's visit. Clinton also made light of Kamala Harris' time as an employee at the chain during her younger years. During a campaign speech, Clinton playfully mentioned (via The Times of India) that he would "be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she'll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald's."

Perhaps egged on by the fast food rapport between Clinton and Harris, then presidential nominee Donald Trump was not to be kept out of the loop. In October 2024, he put in his own hours as an "employee" at a Pennsylvania McDonald's. It seems that, no matter what end of the political spectrum you fall on, one thing can unite us all: a hot batch of fries from McDonald's (and maybe a shake, too).