Joe Biden's Favorite Drink Swaps Hangovers For Hydration

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The lives of presidents have been a topic of endless fascination for the public since, well, 1776. Outside of fun facts like favorite colors, people also love to learn what sort of drink their leader likes to indulge in the most, too (did you know that George Washington's favorite cocktail was a Cherry Bounce?) The vast majority of presidents throughout history, just like Washington, are fond of alcoholic drinks. Joe Biden, according to The Washington Post, is among the few who broke ranks by favoring an orange Gatorade over something boozy.

An aide in the White House described 46's day as starting with an exercise session with his personal trainer. After finishing the reps, he usually liked to down an orange Gatorade to beat the heat and exertion. Considering Gatorade's electrolyte content and ability to hydrate, it's not surprising he picked it for the job. But the orange Gatorade would appear at the "presidential lunchtime," as well, especially during one of his on-the-go lunches. These were fast lunches he'd have when his schedule was so packed that he didn't have enough time for a proper sit-down meal. That's when he'd bust out a lunch sack containing a few healthy snacks, like protein bars and PB&Js, and a "travel-sized" Gatorade (probably the smaller 12-fluid-ounce bottle). The quick food saves time and fills the stomach, while the Gatorade gives the former president a much-needed energy boost to continue his work.

Joe Biden's predecessor and successor, Donald Trump, made headlines for his fondness for Diet Coke. Trump's love affair with Diet Coke was apparently so deep that he even installed a button on the Resolute Desk that, when pressed, would alert a staffer to bring a cold Diet Coke directly to him. This button supposedly was reinstalled when Trump returned to the White House. It's a funny (and slightly ironic) coincidence that Biden is also fond of low-sugar cokes, just in the form of a Coke Zero. And no, while both of them are lower-sugar versions of the original Coke recipe, there's quite a lot of difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke.

We're not going to go into details today, but considering how one of the Biden administration's goals was to promote healthy eating across the country, you might be rightfully concerned about 46th's habit of bumping sodas. As it turns out that outside of the Gatorades or Coke Zeroes, President Biden actually had a relatively healthy diet during his tenure in the White House. If not protein bars and PB&J sandwiches for an on-the-go lunch, he's said to love grilled chicken soups and salads in the middle of a working day. The sodas and the candies (he also has an affinity for saltwater taffies from his home state of Delaware) were just little touches of indulgence in the daily meals of one of the most influential men in the world.