Trump Served A Fast-Food Feast On Silver Platters At The White House To College Football Players

The president said he was "personally paying" for the meal himself.

By
Michelle Broder Van Dyke
by Michelle Broder Van Dyke

BuzzFeed News Reporter

On Monday night, the president of the United States hosted a college football team for dinner at the White House.

Susan Walsh / AP

The Clemson Tigers were invited to meet President Trump after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the national championship game. The team was expected around 6 p.m., but because of the partial government shutdown most of the White House food staff had been furloughed.

So Trump decided he would feed the players a meal of "great American food," featuring take-out classics from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and Domino's.

"Because of the shutdown, as you know, we have the great Clemson team with us," Trump said. "So we went out and we ordered American fast food paid for by me. Lots of hamburgers, lots of pizza, I think they'd like it better than anything we could give. And so, we'll have a little fun."

Susan Walsh / AP

The White House confirmed Trump would be paying for the dinner.

"[M]uch of the residence staff at the White House is furloughed — so the President is personally paying for the event to be catered with some of everyone’s favorite fast foods," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

The White House candles were lit for the dinner, which was a nice touch.

Pool / Getty Images

Trump told reporters ahead of the event that the meal was for "very large people that like eating."

As players entered the White House's East Room, the table was piled high with boxes of burgers on silver trays, and the White House band played a jazz rendition of Michael Jackson’s classic "Billie Jean."

Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images

Guests were given white dinner plates for their meals.

Another table was covered with french fries and pizza. Many of the pizzas appeared to have olives and tomatoes on them.

Susan Walsh / AP

"Some of the players whooped as they saw the food spread," according to reporters at the event.

Susan Walsh / AP

Later, Trump spoke to the team to offer congratulations on their victory, and took special note of the dinner, telling the team he didn't want to feed them salads prepared by the first lady, so he ordered fast food from American companies.

Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Trump said a total of 1,000 burgers were brought in for the dinner.

Pool / Getty Images

A Clemson coach shared a picture of a stack of McDonald's Quarter Pounders, highlighting that the cheeseburgers were served on a silver platter.

Coach Jeff Scott @coach_jeffscott

Presidential dinner 🏆#silverplatter

Reply Retweet Favorite

"Our nutritionist must be having a fit," one Clemson player reportedly said.

Brian J. Karem @BrianKarem

POTUS serving only the best in fast food. “Our nutrionist must be having a fit” Clemson player says

Reply Retweet Favorite

Other players shared images of their dinner, which included a Big Mac, fries, and ketchup.

Zach Giella @gellocup177

Reply Retweet Favorite

The fries were held in paper cups bearing the presidential seal.

“Enjoy your food,” Trump said to the team. “Good stuff. Grab one. Grab one, fellas.”

Todd Green @VideoClemson

Best Big Mac I’ve ever had. Thank you @realDonaldTrump for hosting the Tigers. #ALLIN

Reply Retweet Favorite

Asked if he had a favorite among the fast-food restaurants, Trump replied that he liked all of them.

Mark Knoller @markknoller

Asked which of the fast food eats he likes best, "I like it all," said @POTUS. "It's all great stuff." Said it'll be interesting to see how much is left, after the Clemson team fills up. Thinks they'll like it better than anything else the WH could serve.

Reply Retweet Favorite

“I like it all. I like it all," Trump said. "It’s all good stuff, great American food."

Topics in this article

Skip to footer