From His Mother’s Meatloaf to Chocolate Cream Pie: 12 Trump Favorite Foods You Can Make at Home
Ever wondered what lands on Donald Trump’s plate when the cameras are off? Trump favorite foods are not fancy at all. He skips coffee and tea, he likes his bacon medium and his eggs over well, and comfort food wins almost every time. From his mother’s meatloaf recipe to a slice of chocolate cream pie, here are the dishes he is on record loving, plus a simple homemade version of each one you can cook tonight for your own family..
Trump Favorite Foods Start With Mom’s Meatloaf
Meatloaf sits at the top of the list. In a 2010 interview with US Weekly, Trump said his sister Maryanne makes it for his birthday, and the Palm Beach Daily News reported that Mar-a-Lago serves meatloaf made from his mother’s recipe. He even cooked it on Martha Stewart’s show back in 2005. Our version is the classic Sunday kind: tender, juicy and brushed with a sweet ketchup glaze. Do you like yours with gravy or ketchup?
You will need: 2 lb ground beef (80/20), 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, 2/3 cup milk, 2 eggs, 1 small onion grated, 2 garlic cloves minced, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Glaze: 2/3 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp cider vinegar.
How to make it: Heat the oven to 350F. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs, onion, garlic, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, then gently mix in the beef. Shape a loaf on a lined sheet pan. Stir the glaze together and brush half on top. Bake 50 minutes, brush on the rest and bake 15 minutes more, until the center reaches 160F. Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Chopped Steak With Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
The Palm Beach Daily News once described his favorite meal at the club: a crab meat cocktail to start, then meatloaf or chopped steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. Chopped steak is a thick, seasoned beef patty that gets a crisp crust in a hot pan and then simmers in onion gravy. It is cheap, fast and tastes like an old supper club dinner. Of all the Trump favorite foods, this one may be the most budget friendly. Would you add mushrooms to the gravy?
You will need: 1 1/2 lb ground chuck, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp oil, 1 onion sliced, 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp flour, 1 1/2 cups beef broth, mashed potatoes to serve.
How to make it: Season the beef and shape 4 oval patties about 3/4 inch thick. Sear in the hot oil 4 minutes per side, then move to a plate. Cook the onion in the butter in the same pan until soft. Stir in the flour, then whisk in the broth and simmer until thick. Return the patties, cover and simmer 8 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes with plenty of gravy.
Trump Favorite Foods: A Well Done Steak That Stays Juicy
His longtime Mar-a-Lago butler, Tony Senecal, said Trump liked his steak well done, with ketchup and, in his words, “no garbage with it.” Well done does not have to mean dry. The trick is a thick cut, a hard sear for color, then lower heat and a lid so it cooks through gently, plus a real rest at the end. Quick poll: how do you order your steak? A) rare B) medium rare C) medium D) well done.
You will need: 2 strip or ribeye steaks about 1 1/4 inches thick, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp butter, 2 garlic cloves smashed, ketchup or steak sauce to serve.
How to make it: Salt the steaks and let them sit 40 minutes at room temperature. Sear in a hot oiled skillet 3 minutes per side. Lower the heat to medium low, add the butter and garlic, cover and cook, turning every 2 minutes, until the center reads 155F. Rest 8 minutes so the juices settle. Slice and serve with ketchup on the side.
Bacon Medium, Eggs Over Well
He has said he is not much of a breakfast person, but when he does eat it, bacon and eggs are the pick. He told People magazine in 2015 that he likes his “bacon medium and the eggs over-well.” Over well means the yolk is fully set while the white stays tender, not rubbery. The oven makes the bacon easy and keeps the stove free for the eggs. Are you team crispy bacon or team chewy?
You will need: 8 slices bacon, 4 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, salt and pepper, buttered toast to serve.
How to make it: Lay the bacon on a foil lined sheet pan and bake at 400F for 14 to 16 minutes for medium. Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium low heat. Crack in the eggs and cook until the whites set, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until the yolks are fully set. Season and serve with the bacon and toast.
The Breakfast Sandwich From the Campaign Trail
During the 2016 campaign, Politico reported that a bodyguard picked up Egg McMuffins for him from a McDonald’s in Queens. You can make a better one at home in about 10 minutes. An egg ring or a canning lid gives you that perfect round egg, and Canadian bacon warmed in the same pan adds a salty bite. Make a few on Sunday, wrap them in foil and you have grab and go breakfasts all week.
You will need: 4 English muffins split, 4 eggs, 4 slices Canadian bacon, 4 slices American cheese, 1 tbsp butter, salt and pepper.
How to make it: Toast and butter the muffins. Grease 4 egg rings or canning lids and set them in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack an egg into each, break the yolk, add 2 tbsp water to the pan, cover and cook 3 minutes. Warm the Canadian bacon in the same pan. Stack muffin, cheese, egg and bacon, add the top and wrap in foil for 1 minute so the cheese melts.
A Double Decker Burger With Special Sauce
In the 2017 book Let Trump Be Trump, two former campaign aides described his usual McDonald’s order: two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and a chocolate malted. Here is a homemade double decker in that style, with thin smashed patties, shredded lettuce, pickles, onion and a tangy pink sauce. Pressing the patties thin gives you crispy, lacy edges. Which would you order? A) the double burger B) the fish sandwich C) both, just like the book says.
You will need: 1 lb ground beef (80/20) for 4 thin patties, 3 sesame seed buns (the third bun gives the middle layers), shredded iceberg lettuce, dill pickle slices, 1/4 onion minced, 2 slices American cheese, salt. Sauce: 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tbsp sweet relish, 1 tbsp yellow mustard, 1 tsp vinegar, 1/2 tsp paprika.
How to make it: Stir the sauce together. Divide the beef into 4 balls. Smash each one very thin in a hot cast iron skillet, salt it and cook 2 minutes, flip, add cheese to two of them and cook 1 minute more. Toast the buns. Build each burger: bottom bun, sauce, lettuce, onion, cheese patty, middle bun, sauce, lettuce, pickles, plain patty, top bun.
Trump Favorite Foods Include a Crispy Fish Sandwich
The fish sandwich shows up again and again in reports about his fast food habits, and the Washington Post also listed Filet-O-Fish sandwiches among his campaign trail meals. The homemade version is easy: cod in a crunchy panko coat, a slice of melty cheese and a quick tartar sauce on a soft, warm bun. Bake it or pan fry it, your choice. Have you ever made fish sandwiches at home?
You will need: 1 lb cod cut into 4 squares, 1/2 cup flour, 1 egg beaten, 1 cup panko, salt and pepper, oil for frying, 4 soft buns, 2 slices American cheese halved. Tartar: 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tbsp chopped dill pickle, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp minced onion.
How to make it: Mix the tartar sauce and chill. Season the fish, dip it in flour, then egg, then panko. Pan fry in 1/4 inch of hot oil 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and flaky, or bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Lay half a slice of cheese on each hot piece. Warm the buns, spread with tartar and add the fish.
The Chocolate Malted, Old School Style
That book also mentions a chocolate malted, which The Takeout notes is the name he has used for milkshakes since he was a kid. Malted milk powder is the secret here. It adds a toasty, nostalgic flavor that tastes like an old soda fountain. If you love that retro feeling, our diner classics from meatloaf to milkshakes are full of it. Thick or thin: how do you like your shake?
You will need: 3 big scoops vanilla ice cream, 1/2 cup cold whole milk, 3 tbsp chocolate syrup, 3 tbsp malted milk powder, whipped cream to top.
How to make it: Chill a tall glass in the freezer. Add the milk, syrup and malted milk powder to a blender, then the ice cream. Blend on low for 20 to 30 seconds, just until smooth and thick. Pour into the glass, top with whipped cream and a drizzle of syrup, and serve with a straw and a spoon.
Crispy Oven Fried Chicken for the Whole Table
During the 2016 campaign he shared a photo of himself eating fried chicken from a bucket on his plane, and the Washington Post, reviewing the aides’ book, said the four main food groups on that plane were McDonald’s, KFC, pizza and Diet Coke. This oven fried take on one of the Trump favorite foods gives you the crunch with no pot of oil. A buttermilk soak keeps it juicy and a seasoned crumb coat turns deep golden. Drumstick or wing, which piece do you grab first?
You will need: 3 lb bone-in chicken pieces, 2 cups buttermilk, 2 tsp salt, 2 cups crushed cornflakes, 1 cup panko, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 4 tbsp melted butter.
How to make it: Soak the chicken in the buttermilk and 1 tsp salt for at least 2 hours. Heat the oven to 400F and set a rack on a sheet pan. Mix the crumbs with the spices and the rest of the salt. Lift the chicken from the buttermilk, press it into the crumbs and lay it on the rack. Drizzle with the butter and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the thickest piece reaches 175F.
Trump Favorite Foods at the Club: The Wedge Salad
Salad makes the list too. The Mar-a-Lago menu has carried a dish called “Mr. Trump’s wedge salad,” and he is said to like his salad with Thousand Island dressing. A wedge is the easiest steakhouse starter there is: a cold quarter of iceberg, a creamy dressing, crispy bacon and juicy tomatoes. Make the dressing a day ahead and it gets even better. Thousand Island or blue cheese on yours?
You will need: 1 head iceberg lettuce, 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled, 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved, 1/4 red onion thinly sliced, chopped chives. Dressing: 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp sweet relish, 1 tsp lemon juice, a pinch of salt and paprika.
How to make it: Whisk the dressing and chill for 30 minutes. Cut the lettuce through the core into 4 wedges, rinse and pat dry. Set each wedge on a cold plate, spoon over plenty of dressing and scatter the bacon, tomatoes, onion and chives on top. Finish with cracked black pepper and serve right away.
Crab Meat Cocktail to Start the Meal
That same Palm Beach report said his favorite meal starts with a crab meat cocktail. Among Trump favorite foods, it is the old school starter that feels fancy but takes about 10 minutes. Sweet lump crab and a zippy homemade cocktail sauce with horseradish and lemon, all served cold in a pretty glass. It is perfect for holidays and date nights. Have you ever served a seafood cocktail at a party?
You will need: 8 oz lump crab meat picked over, 1 lemon, 4 small lettuce leaves, parsley. Sauce: 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 to 2 tbsp prepared horseradish, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp lemon juice, a few drops hot sauce.
How to make it: Stir the sauce together and chill. Gently toss the crab with a squeeze of lemon, keeping the lumps whole. Line 4 small glasses with lettuce, pile in the crab and spoon the sauce on top. Garnish with parsley and a lemon wedge. Keep cold until serving.
Chocolate Cream Pie With Two Scoops of Vanilla
For dessert, Time magazine reported that at a White House dinner he was served chocolate cream pie with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. He also once named cherry vanilla as his favorite ice cream flavor. This chocolate cream pie is rich and silky, with a cookie crumb crust and a cloud of whipped cream. Add a scoop of vanilla on the side for the full experience. Which of these Trump favorite foods will you make first?
You will need: 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs, 5 tbsp melted butter, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 cups whole milk, 4 egg yolks, 5 oz semisweet chocolate chopped, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cups whipped cream, vanilla ice cream to serve.
How to make it: Press the crumbs and melted butter into a 9 inch pie plate, bake at 350F for 8 minutes and cool. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk and yolks in a pot over medium heat until thick and bubbling, about 8 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Pour into the crust, press plastic wrap on top and chill 4 hours. Top with whipped cream and serve with vanilla ice cream.
