Trump doctor says staff hid cauliflower in president’s mashed potato in failed attempt to make him lose weight
Former medical advisor also tried to make ice cream 'less accessible' to president
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump’s former doctor has said he hid cauliflower in mashed potato and tried to make ice cream “less accessible” to the president in a failed attempt to make him lose weight.
Dr Ronny Jackson, the former chief medical advisor to Mr Trump, hoped to help the president lose between 10 and 15 pounds in 2018 and planned to introduce an exercise bike or elliptical machine to the White House.
However, his efforts were in vain as Mr Trump was found to have gained four pounds, tipping him over into the obese category, at his last public medical examination in February 2019.
“The exercise stuff never took off as much as I wanted it to,” Mr Jackson admitted in an interview with The New York Times published on Monday evening.
“But we were working on his diet. We were making the ice cream less accessible, we were putting cauliflower into the mashed potatoes.”
Mr Jackson rose to national attention in January 2018 when he gave a glowing review of Mr Trump’s health, despite the president’s well-known love of fast food, at a White House press conference.
“You know, I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old,” the doctor told reporters.
“He has incredibly good genes, and it’s just the way God made him.”
Following those comments, Mr Jackson became part of Mr Trump’s favoured inner circle at the White House and was even picked to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
He later withdrew himself from consideration for the position after he was accused of misconduct, including being drunk at work and allegedly giving out Ambien, Provigil and other prescription drugs “like they were candy” – allegations that he said were “completely false and fabricated”.
“That was the day I got the Trump stamp on me completely,” Mr Jackson told the Times, referring to the 2018 press conference.
“I was no longer viewed as a nonpartisan physician on military orders, even though I still technically was.”
The former White House doctor is now running to be the Republican candidate in Texas’ 13th congressional district, one of the most conservative in the US, where the Republican nomination all but guarantees a place in Congress.
Mr Jackson is hoping his links to the Trump administration will be enough to defeat two powerful opponents – Chris Ekstrom, a Dallas millionaire who is self-funding his campaign, and Josh Winegarner, a lobbyist with the backing of the cattle industry and outgoing Republican representative Mac Thornberry.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments