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President-elect Donald Trump recently received a special edition Diet Coke bottle to commemorate his upcoming inauguration. Trump's deputy director of communications, Margo Martin, took to X to announce that the CEO of the Coca-Cola Company, James Quincey, presented the bottle to Trump on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Martin's post included a picture of the soon-to-be-inaugurated president and Quincey seated next to each other.
As news of the development went viral, internet users were quick to react. One sarcastically wrote:
"That's why pepsi is better."
Many continued to criticize Coca-Cola's move. Here are some comments seen under @PopBase's post on X about the same:
"The only reason large corporations are happy with trump being back in office is because his tax plan didn't affect the rich only the middle class," one wrote.
"Pepsi’s always been better anyways," another user commented.
"Well, here’s another reason to drink water…or beer," one more stated.
Meanwhile, some defended the move, with one user claiming that the Atlanta-based soda company has frequently commemorated an upcoming president, including Biden and Obama.
"Where’s his inauguration fish o’ filet from @McDonalds?" a person questioned.
"America exists in a perpetual state of a Black Mirror episode," another added.
"Funny to see Americans not realize they do this for every president," one remarked.
Donald Trump previously drank a dozen Diet Cokes each day
Donald Trump has frequently expressed his love for drinking Coke. He has often opined on the beverage in social media posts, including in October 2012 when he wrote on X:
"The Coca Cola company is not happy with me--that's okay, I'll still keep drinking that garbage."
In December 2017, the New York Times reported that the then-president drank a dozen Diet Cokes each day. However, fans have recently seen the president-elect sipping regular Coke. As per Times Entertainment on November 6, 2024, netizens believe he made the switch because Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) informed him about aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in the former beverage.
The artificial sweetener is used in several diet sodas and low-calorie foods. It has been frequently studied over the years, with mixed findings on its effects on human health. However, in July 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a study that suggested it was "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
While RFK Jr. has not officially commented on aspartame, he has spoken about ingredients in American food that affect human health. According to an article by BBC dated November 24, 2024, during a rally, RFK Jr. targeted junk food and several ingredients used in locally available food, saying:
"We are betraying our children by letting [food] industries poison them."
In November 2024, Trump announced wanting RFK Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). At the time, in an X post dated November 14, Robert vowed to "put an end to the chronic disease epidemic" in the country by ending "corruption" and bringing back "evidence-based science." The two also started the phrase, "Make America Healthy Again!"
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president on Monday, January 20, in Washington, D.C.
