<span class="ArticlePage-articleBody-firstLetter">O</span>ne of the hallmarks of <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/campaign" target="_blank">presidential campaigns</a> is the ritual of contenders wolfing down cherished local <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/food" target="_blank">foods</a> such as greasy corn dogs, burgers, <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/trump-claims-without-him-desantis-would-be-working-at-a-law-firm-or-pizza-hut" target="_blank">pizza</a>, and more in carefully choreographed photo-ops to craft an "Average Joe" facade. 

But that seemingly mundane, mouth-watering political tradition comes with its risks. During the quest to forge connections with everyday people, certain mishaps have fueled suspicions that some politicians are clearly faking it. 

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Here is a rundown of some of the most iconic presidential chow wows. 

<b>Ron DeSantis putting his fingers in pudding</b> 

He may not officially be in the 2024 food fight yet, but Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) recently cooked up a stir over a report alleging he once ate chocolate pudding with three fingers during a flight between Tallahassee, Florida, and Washington, D.C., in March 2019. 

Multiple staffers claimed DeSantis had a proclivity for wolfing down food during meetings, according to a report. 

“He would sit in meetings and eat in front of people,” a former DeSantis staffer <a class="Link" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-republican-2024-presidential-campaign-trail-is-already-getting-gov-ron-desantis-proofed?ref=home" target="_blank">told</a> the <i>Daily Beast</i>, “always like a starving animal who has never eaten before … getting s*** everywhere.” 

During her 2020 stint, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was haunted by lore from her past that she once deployed a comb as a makeshift fork after berating a staffer for botching her salad order by forgetting to procure a fork. After gulping down the green delight with her comb, she had a terse demand for that staffer: "Clean it," the <i>New York Times</i> <a class="Link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-staff.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">reported</a>. 

“How did everyone like the salad? I thought it was OK, but it needed just a bit of scalp oil and a pinch of dandruff, would be a little better,” Klobuchar later joked at a dinner event about the ordeal, per <a class="Link" href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/02/politics/klobuchar-gridiron-speech/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. 

 <div class="Enhancement-item"> <figure class="Figure mb-1 mb-sm-3 mb-md-1 article-lead-photo data_invisible" data-align="center" width="100%"> <div class="Figure-container"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 768px)" type="image/webp" width="767" height="527"> <source media="(max-width: 768px)" width="767" height="527"> <source media="(max-width: 1440px)" type="image/webp" width="645" height="443"> <source media="(max-width: 1440px)" width="645" height="443"> <source type="image/webp" width="1060" height="728"> <source width="1060" height="728"> <img class="Image" width="100%" height="auto"> </picture> <figcaption class="Figure-caption" itemprop="caption"> The daughters of the Republic of Texas saved President Gerald Ford from what would have been a growling gastric experience in San Antonio, Tex., April 9, 1976. Ford, apparently not familiar with hot tamales, started to stuff one of the masa meal-meat concoctions into his mouth without first removing its corn shuck wrapper. (AP Photo) </figcaption> <div class="Figure-credit" itemprop="author"> Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS </div> </div> </figure> </div> 

Tamales are famous for their savory taste that melts in the mouth, but for one president, a tamale nearly took his breath away. President Gerald Ford was touring the Alamo in San Antonio in 1976 when someone gifted him a flavorful tamale. Ford then began devouring the dish with the husk intact. Traditionally, the husk is removed before consumption. 

Ford then began to choke, according to some accounts. Viral images of the ordeal quickly circulated, much to the chagrin of his campaign. 

Thousands of Secret Service personnel work tirelessly to ensure the president's safety. But a slick pretzel managed to penetrate President George W. Bush's security bubble in 2002. Bush choked on a pretzel while watching a football game. He then briefly lost consciousness, fainted, and tumbled to the floor. 

“I do not find any reason that this would happen again,” an Air Force colonel told the media afterward, <a class="Link" href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jan-14-mn-22490-story.html#:~:text=President%20Bush%20briefly%20lost%20consciousness,quarters%2C%20the%20White%20House%20said." target="_blank">per</a> the <i>Los Angeles Times.</i> “He fainted due to a temporary decrease in heart rate brought on by swallowing a pretzel.” 

 <div class="Enhancement-item"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">What can’t <a href="https://twitter.com/asmamk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@asmamk</a> let go of this week?<br><br>The eating habits of candidates on the 2020 trail, including Pete Buttigieg’s cinnamon roll habits. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nprpoliticslive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nprpoliticslive</a> <a href="https://t.co/ezouXAkvqG">https://t.co/ezouXAkvqG</a></p>— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/nprpolitics/status/1192990094241751045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2019</a> </blockquote>  </div> 

At a pit stop in Iowa, then-2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg munched on a cinnamon roll as if it were chicken wings. A photograph of the gustatory move swirled on social media. Some likened him to a snapping turtle fiendishly inhaling its prey. 

Despite the apparent nibbling faux pas, Buttigieg went on to win the Iowa caucus after a software mishap delayed results. The Hawkeye State was later booted from its leadoff caucus status by the Democratic National Committee earlier this year in the wake of the application snafu. 

While doing an Instagram Live video, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) seemingly sought to defy her elite Cambridge law professor personae by poppin’ a brewski. 

“Hold on a sec. I’m gonna get me a beer," she said during the livestream before fetching a beer from her refrigerator. Her use of a <a class="Link" href="https://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/personal-datives" target="_blank">personal dative</a> and apparent quest to be relatable set the internet ablaze. 

 <div class="Enhancement-item"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">"I'm gonna get me a beer": Sen. Elizabeth Warren drank a beer on Instagram Live – and it received mixed reactions. <a href="https://t.co/0LT6dtXXBH">https://t.co/0LT6dtXXBH</a> <a href="https://t.co/NtNqJ0VddZ">pic.twitter.com/NtNqJ0VddZ</a></p>— CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1080554654352793609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2019</a> </blockquote>  </div> 

Warren later <a class="Link" href="https://whdh.com/news/sen-warren-reveals-beer-of-choice-after-instagram-video-goes-viral/" target="_blank">revealed</a> that she prefers Michelob Ultra, which she dubbed “the club soda of beers." Warren also followed up with a "Grab a Beer* With Elizabeth" contest. 

 <div class="Enhancement-item"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">I had a terrific time with Mike (our <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamWarren?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeamWarren</a> “Grab a Beer* With Elizabeth” contest winner) and his wife, Linda, from Elma, New York! We had beer and iced tea at my house, then grabbed dinner down the street. Bruce had a lot of fun and Bailey got to meet his new friend! <a href="https://t.co/FMMg1xxGkJ">pic.twitter.com/FMMg1xxGkJ</a></p>— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) <a href="https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1153134478002458626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2019</a> </blockquote>  </div> 

Interest in Donald Trump's eating machinations soon spilled over into his presidency. During his first outing in Washington as president, he ordered a well-done strip steak with ketchup, <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/trumps-first-dc-dinner-as-president-an-overcooked-54-steak-with-ketchup/2017/02/27/c98895b4-fd19-11e6-8f41-ea6ed597e4ca_story.html" target="_blank">according</a> to the <i>Washington Post</i>. 

Later on, in a vintage Trump moment, he ordered McDonald's for a White House banquet to honor the Clemson Tigers college football team, which had won the NCAA football championship. At the time, a government shutdown stymied the Trump administration from ordering a more elaborate meal for the players. 

 <div class="Enhancement-item"> <figure class="Figure mb-1 mb-sm-3 mb-md-1 article-lead-photo data_invisible" data-align="center" width="100%"> <div class="Figure-container"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 768px)" type="image/webp" width="767" height="511"> <source media="(max-width: 768px)" width="767" height="511"> <source media="(max-width: 1440px)" type="image/webp" width="645" height="430"> <source media="(max-width: 1440px)" width="645" height="430"> <source type="image/webp" width="1060" height="707"> <source width="1060" height="707"> <img class="Image" width="100%" height="auto"> </picture> <figcaption class="Figure-caption" itemprop="caption"> President Donald Trump welcomes the 2018 NCAA FCS College Football Champions, The North Dakota State Bison, to the State Dining room of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 4, 2019, with McDonald's and Chick-fil-A fast food. Fourth from left is Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., third right is Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and fourth from right is North Dakota State Bison quarterback Easton Stick. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) </figcaption> <div class="Figure-credit" itemprop="author"> Carolyn Kaster/AP </div> </div> </figure> </div> 

Pizza has become as American as apple pie, but some presidential contenders have actually tried eating it like pie. In 2016, candidate John Kasich whipped out a fork to eat a slice of pizza at a New York pizzeria, creating sour apples in the Big Apple. 

"Look, look, the pizza came scalding hot, OK?" Kasich later said, defending the move. 

 <div class="Enhancement-item"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">John Kasich went to New York <br>and ate pizza with a fork <a href="https://t.co/enbJpnWd8y">https://t.co/enbJpnWd8y</a> <a href="https://t.co/mQBmsUOhnp">pic.twitter.com/mQBmsUOhnp</a></p>— CNN (@CNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/715532354757005312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2016</a> </blockquote>  </div> 

But Kasich isn't alone. Long before he embarked on his presidential journey, Trump had his New York bona fides questioned for eating pizza with a fork. 

"A lot of people are asking why am I using plastic forks and knives that the pizza parlor gave," Trump <a class="Link" href="https://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/03/john-kasich-pizza-fork-221416" target="_blank">said in response</a> to the frenzy. "This way, you can take the top of the pizza off so you’re not just eating the crust. I like to not eat the crust so we can keep the weight down at least as good as possible." 

But Trump wasn't the only New Yorker to do that. Former Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, who briefly ran for president in the 2020 cycle, also sparked controversy during his tenure for leaning on forks while nabbing a pizza. 

In his high-stakes quest for the White House, then-Democratic Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry ordered a cheesesteak in south Philadelphia with Swiss cheese in lieu of the typical dollop of Cheez Whiz. His presidential aspirations didn't quite melt away with the Swiss cheese hubbub, as Kerry ultimately won Pennsylvania in the general election. 

However, Kerry fell short against Bush nationally in both the Electoral College and popular votes. 

Although it fell below the national radar, former presidential contender Andrew Yang elicited drama in Rhode Island for posting a photo of Del’s Lemonade with a straw. Del’s Lemonade is an iconic beverage in the state, typically gulped without a straw. Outsiders often flout Ocean State traditions for downing the slushy lemonade drink. 

 <div class="Enhancement-item"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Love <a href="https://twitter.com/DelsLemonade?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DelsLemonade</a> in the summer. ???? <a href="https://t.co/CQPL93Oiiz">pic.twitter.com/CQPL93Oiiz</a></p>— Andrew Yang????⬆️???????? (@AndrewYang) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1163252649724190720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2019</a> </blockquote>  </div> 

Yang attended Brown University and may have been familiar with the state's tradition before triggering the Rhode Island uproar. 

Not all culinary gaffes involve actual food. At a visit to a New Jersey school in 1992, then-Vice President Dan Quayle <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/frenzy/quayle3.htm" target="_blank">famously attempted</a> to correct a sixth grader who spelled "potato" on the blackboard while conducting a spelling bee. Quayle added an extra "e" to the potato while using an inaccurate flash card provided by a teacher. 

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Food gaffes on the campaign trail stretch far beyond the presidency. In the 2022 midterm election cycle, Dr. Mehmet Oz filmed a video in which he went to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for crudite. 

In a clip that went viral on social media, he called the store "Wegner’s" instead of "Redner’s."His rival, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), seized on the gaffe, which fed his narrative that Oz was out of touch.

One of the hallmarks of presidential campaigns is the ritual of contenders wolfing down cherished local foods such as greasy corn dogs, burgers, pizza, and more in carefully choreographed photo-ops to craft an "Average Joe" facade.