Barack Obama's Famous Gum-Chewing Habit Once Sent Trump On An Angry Rant

Despite their title and prestige, U.S. presidents are only human, and as such they're subject to the same quirks as the rest of us. Some commanders-in-chief were a little quirkier than others: For instance, John Quincy Adams used to skinny-dip in the Potomac River, and Calvin Coolidge underwent petroleum jelly scalp massages. Most recently, Donald Trump used a help button on his desk to call for Diet Coke, the drink he was known to consume a dozen times a day, and his love for fast food is legendary. His predecessor, Barack Obama, was more health-conscious in some ways, thanks to his regular workouts and first lady Michelle Obama's addition of a vegetable garden in the White House. But Obama was also a smoker, and though he tried to kick the habit, the substitute he used was just as problematic.

To help wean himself off cigarettes, Obama frequently turned to nicotine gum, which provides enough nicotine to curb cravings. Users chew gum with decreasing levels of nicotine over time, until they can get by without either the cigs or the gum. Useful as it may have been, there were times when Obama drew fire for it. Gum-chewing is considered vulgar in certain countries, such as China, where the former president traveled in 2014 for an economic summit. He was seen with a wad in his mouth when he arrived for a banquet, which led local bloggers to call him an "idler" at the fancy event. Another such breach of etiquette struck Trump himself as revolting.

Not long after Barack Obama broke protocol in China, he dug a deeper hole for himself in India. Invited as an honored guest to the country's Republic Day parade in January 2015, the former president was spotted chewing his nicotine gum yet again. Even more egregiously, The Times of India reported Obama was seen taking the gum out of his mouth as Prime Minister Modi was speaking to him. The paper called it "an ungainly sight," and some commenters on X felt it was "classless." 

So did Donald Trump. Still six months away from announcing his own presidential ambitions, he still enjoyed making his views known on social media. He posted a video on his Instagram account in which he pulled no punches. "The people of India are going crazy that President Obama was constantly chewing gum!" he roared. "And then on top of that, he took it out of his mouth [and] put it back. You can't do it — it's disgusting!"

The rant drew thousands of likes and nods of agreement. Many echoed Trump's sentiment about gum-chewing being disgusting. "I love this video because I'm a clean freak and I hate chewing gum," said one follower. But one fan had a different take on the subject. Though they laughed and said Trump should be a "part-time comedian," they added, "[I]t is disgusting [you're] VERY RIGHT...Lol but I wonder why you pointed that out and what does that have to do with your campaign or Making America Great."

Later that year, in an interview with GQ, Trump addressed his diatribe against Obama. "[H]e was chewing gum at a public function, and somehow it didn't set with me," he said. "I thought it was inappropriate. [...] It was at a very big, important function." But while he admitted being "surprised" at Obama's impropriety, Trump seemed eager to move on from the topic: "But he's made much bigger mistakes than that."

Of course, one could point out the old saying about people in glass houses. Trump isn't a gum-chewer, nor does he drink or smoke. But his eating habits aren't anything to boast of, either, and they could be a bit embarrassing, given Trump's self-consciousness about his weight. His former campaign manager Cory Lewandowski dished about his boss's particular food quirks in his book. Among them (via Eater) was Trump's insistence that his Trump Force One plane be stocked with bagged snacks such as Vienna Fingers, Oreos, and pretzels — all fresh and unwrapped, because Trump wouldn't eat from an open package. 

Trump had another unique (and icky) habit. Journalist Maggie Haberman shared with Axios photos showing two toilets with pieces of paper sunk at the bottom. The writing on the paper appears to be Trump's, and an inside source confirmed to Haberman the White House toilets were often clogged by the notes the then-president unsuccessfully tried to flush down. By contrast, a piece of gum is a lot less messy to dispose of.