CNN
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President Donald Trump announced what could be refreshing news to some Americans on Wednesday: thanks to him, Coke is changing its American recipe.
“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so. I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola,” Trump said in a post to social media. “This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
A spokesperson for The Coca-Cola Company did not confirm the change, but told CNN in a statement, “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
Trump announced the bubbling development on a day otherwise consumed by instability in the Middle East, speculation over whether he’ll fire the Federal Reserve chair and mounting outrage from his MAGA base over his administration’s handling of the investigation into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The president’s devotion to Diet Coke has been well-documented, including his “Diet Coke button,” a small wooden box with a red button on the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office that summons a presidential valet to deliver the beverage.
He has, however, sparred with the company in the past, including in 2021, when Coca-Cola spoke out against its home state of Georgia’s laws restricting voting access. His properties, however, continued to sell its products.
Even back in 2012, the then-businessman posted that the company was “not happy” with him, but conceded, “That’s okay, I’ll still keep drinking that garbage.”
Things appeared to sweeten in January when Coca-Cola chairman James Quincey presented Trump with an Inaugural Diet Coke Bottle ahead of his second swearing-in. That commemorative bottle – and Trump’s Wednesday announcement – are just some of many examples that underscore the president’s newfound power in corporate America in his second term.
American Coca-Cola is made with high-fructose corn syrup, something that Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has aggressively advocated against. Its Mexican counterpart is made with cane sugar, a significant export of the country, and is commercially available in the US.
