Donald Trump demanded that his Diet Coke be opened in front of him while dining at a hotel.
Former staff of the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. have lifted the lid on the dining habits of the former US President and his wife Melania.
Speaking to the Washingtonian magazine, they said Potus 45 always sat at table 45 at the restaurant, which is five blocks from the White House.
The round booth sat in the middle of the mezzanine and was always kept empty for Trump, even on nights when the restaurant was otherwise completely full, Mirror.co.uk reports.
A 'Standard Operating Procedure' document outlined step-by-step how the first couple were to be treated by staff.
According to the Washintonian magazine staff had to:
- Make sure a bottle of hand sanitizer of a particular brand was placed on the table discreetly as soon as Trump sat down, even pre-Covid.
- Say "'Good afternoon/evening Mr. President. Would you like your Diet Coke with or without ice?"
- Follow a seven step pouring process, helped by a four photo guide, and open the can in front of Trump.
- Hold a longneck-bottle opener by the lower third of the handle in one hand and the Diet Coke, also by the lower third, in the other.
- Place the drink at Trump's right hand side.
According to the document Trump always had a shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert).
Within two minutes of him arriving popovers - which are like Yorkshire pudding balls - were to be placed in front of him.
The former Apprentice host is a big ketchup fan and required a mini-glass bottle to be opened in front of him, so that he could hear the seal pop.
In case the President was left a little hungry, a tray of snacks had to be laid on for every visit.
It contained: Lay's potato chips (specifically, sour cream and onion), Milky Way, Snickers, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Tic Tacs, gummy bears, Chips Ahoy, Oreos, Nutter Butters, Tootsie Rolls, chocolate-covered raisins, and Pop-Secret.
The First Lady also had her choosier moments, staff said, and once returned a dover sole because it had parsley and chives on it.
When her husband once commented that another guest had a larger steak than him, he was given a super-sized shrimp and a 40-ounce tomahawk.
Despite accusations of unfair profiteering, Trump promoted his D.C. hotel and made it the place to be for those in the political world.
Staff working there had to be on the ball when it came to prominent Republican figures.
Former executive chef Shawn Matijevich told the Washingtonian: "Senators and cabinet members and all of their staffs and the President's staff, important members of the Republican Party, megachurch pastors, MyPillow guy.
"He was a VIP, absolutely.
"The hotel would print us a book every day, if they were staying at the hotel, and it would have their pictures and their name and their job title."
The "biggest pain in my butt", according to a former manager, was Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Because he would sit at a booth and do more working than eating, staff made a name plate which read 'RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI PRIVATE OFFICE' and was placed on his table.
In contrast, the Trump children were described as low-key and polite.
