A weird one, even for Axios: “The food fight in the White House: Biden’s diet.”
There’s a delicious (surf and) turf battle inside the Biden White House — over the president’s plate.
- The food fight has pitted Joe Biden — who prefers carbs over greens — against First Lady Jill Biden, who has been pushing the commander-in-chief to eat more fish and veggies whether he likes them or not (he doesn’t).
Why it matters: The internal tug-of-war over Joe Biden’s diet is just one of many public and private steps being taken by close aides and the first lady to keep the 80-year-old president healthy as he prepares to run for a second term.
State of play: Some Biden aides have long noted that he eats “like a child,” with a food palette that skews beige.
- His favorite dishes include peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, BLT’s, pizza, cookies, spaghetti with butter and red sauce, and ice cream that he occasionally makes into a full sundae, according to current and former Biden aides.
- On Friday while visiting D.C.’s Taqueria Habanero, Biden ordered churros and a chicken quesadilla.
- A teetotaler, he often drinks orange Gatorade.
Zoom in: In September 2021, the president’s sister Val came to the White House for a private dinner, and the first lady selected their entree: salmon in a pastry shell with a medley of vegetables.
- “Damn, she makes me eat this healthy stuff all the time,” said the president, who’s not a fan of salmon, according to Val’s recounting of the dinner in her memoir.
- With the first lady out of sight, Biden had some lemon pound cake and finished a carton of Breyer’s chocolate chip ice cream for dessert, Val recalled.
I certainly hope this is being exaggerated for humorous effect. Surely, a grown ass man should be able to decide what he wants for dinner and to have dessert without his wife’s permission.
By all accounts, Biden is remarkably healthy for an 80-year-old. He works out regularly and seems to be quite slim. Unless his physician is telling him that he needs to give up certain foods, he seems to be doing just fine.
My diet is somewhat healthier than his but I sympathize with his not liking salmon and other fishy-tasting seafood. I’m more fajitas or steak burrito guy than quesadillas but I’ll gobble down a whole bowl of chips and salsa while waiting for them. I don’t eat as many vegetables as I should and cook a not-insignificant portion of those I do with bacon. I, too, like ice cream and other desserts but don’t indulge in them very often. Alas, I’m not a teetotaler.
Regardless, if the man hates salmon, it’s just absurd to try to make it part of his diet. Maybe give him some grilled chicken?
