Trump is serving the Clemson football team Wendy's and McDonald's in the White House. Here's the history behind the president's fast-food obsession.

Kate Taylor

Jan 15, 2019, 05:47 IST

Trump is serving the Clemson football team Wendy's and McDonald's in the White House. Here's the history behind the president's fast-food obsession.

Chris Kleponis - Pool/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 14: U.S. President Donald Trump presents fast food to be served to the Clemson Tigers in celebration of their national championship at the White House on January 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. Clemson won their second title in three years after beating Alabama 44-16 on January 7th.

President Trump is serving McDonald's and Wendy's on Monday night, as the Clemson Tigers visit the White House.
Trump has long had an obsession with fast food, which he says he appreciates in part due to chains' cleanliness.
According to Michael Wolff's book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," Trump also reportedly enjoys fast food because of a long-time fear of being poisoned.

President Trump is serving McDonald's and Wendy's at the White House on Monday night - but it's far from the first time the president's enjoyment of fast food has been apparent.

On Monday, Trump announced plans to serve the Clemson football team fast food during their visit to the White House, following the team's national championship win. The decision was in part because most of the White House staff is furloughed due to the government shutdown, which is now in its 24th day, deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told CNN.

"I think we're going to serve McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King with some pizza," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "I really mean it. It'll be interesting."

Photos at the event show a spread of food wrapped in McDonald's and Wendy's packaging.

According to a video taken by White House correspondent for Yahoo News Hunter Walker, Trump says there are hamburgers being served, along with french fries, pizza, and more.

Trump enjoys fast food, according to reports (and social media). "I like it all. It's all good stuff. Great American food," the president says in the video taken by Walker.

Throughout the presidential campaign, fast food was a staple in Trump's diet. The president's go-to McDonald's order was two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, and a large chocolate shake, according to former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and top Trump campaign aide David Bossie.

"Like an amazing professional athlete who has a routine that they do all the time when they're ready for a big game," Trump "would consistently do the same things," Lewandowski told Business Insider earlier this year.

Trump has previously applauded fast-food chains for their cleanliness.

"One bad hamburger, you can destroy McDonald's. One bad hamburger and you take Wendy's and all these other places and they're out of business," Trump said at a 2016 town hall. "I like cleanliness, and I think you're better off going there than maybe someplace that you have no idea where the food is coming from."

And, according to author Michael Wolff, ordering fast food allows Trump to dispel his fear of being poisoned.

Trump "had a longtime fear of being poisoned, one reason why he liked to eat at McDonald's - nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely premade," Wolff wrote in "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House."

Trump has also been featured in a number of fast-food ads over the years.

In 1995, Trump starred in a Pizza Hut commercial with his ex-wife Ivana, three years after the duo's divorce. In 2002, he appeared in a McDonald's ad with Grimace.

He also seems happy to pressure others to eat fast food even when he isn't being paid. In 1995, Trump tried to force Madonna and fashion designer Donatella Versace to eat KFC with him while the duo were staying at Mar-a-Lago, Versace told Vogue.