U.S. President Donald Trump once again showed his well-known "cola fanatic" side. On the 29th in Gyeongju, at the Asia-Pacific leaders' banquet, he drank "Diet Coke" flown in directly from the United States instead of the champagne served as the banquet wine.
At the banquet held in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, seven national leaders attended, including President Lee Jae-myung and Trump, Vietnam President Luong Cuong, and Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
When President Lee offered a toast, the leaders lifted their champagne glasses to set the mood. After that, most took a sip or two and began the meal, but Trump merely brought the champagne glass to his lips and put it back on the table. Instead, a glass of cola sat next to him.
The cola Trump often drinks is not regular cola but sugar-free "zero cola." The U.S. side was said to have asked the hotel where he would stay before his visit to Korea to "prepare the types of cola President Trump likes." However, the Diet Coke product with the silver label was hard to find in Korea, so the U.S. side reportedly brought it directly.
Trump is known to strictly abstain from alcohol. This is largely due to a tragic family history. His brother Fred suffered from alcohol dependence and died in 1981 at age 43. In the past, Trump told reporters, "I had a brother named Fred, the best-looking and kindest guy in the world, but he had a drinking problem," adding, "What he always told me was 'Don't drink.'"
His "love of cola" is exceptional. Trump is known to drink an average of 12 cans of Diet Coke a day. During his first administration, a red button to request cola was installed on the desk in the Oval Office at the White House. When he pressed the red button, staff would enter the office with a chilled cola in a glass.