10 Steak Orders Of US Presidents

President of the United States is arguably the most prominent and public job on the planet, so it's no wonder we know plenty of personal details about former chief executives — including their steak orders. And much like their partisan positions on the economy, foreign relations, and domestic policy, the cuts of beef and how they're prepared can sometimes prove divisive. This is especially true of those on either side of the aisle who take their steak medium-well or well-done — not to mention with ketchup.

Records of presidential steak orders reach back through the years. Nuggets about Ulysses S. Grant enjoying fried apples with his steak, President Grover Cleveland considering it his second-favorite breakfast, and President William Howard Taft starting each day with a steak fill the pages of history books. Likewise, more recent accounts delve into the preferences of leaders of the free world from President Dwight D. Eisenhower through President Donald Trump. Among them, you'll find that some leaders remained sneaky with their steak consumption, ordering in while stuck in the hospital or only chowing down while the First Lady was out of town. Let's take a closer look at how these leaders of the free world like their beef cooked.

Despite his status as a wealthy real estate mogul with a portfolio including hotels, resorts, and country clubs, President Donald Trump's steak preference is considered anything but elegant. Much like his penchant for McDonald's and Diet Coke, the billionaire businessman's enjoyment of steak prepared well-done runs contrary to his executive lifestyle. What's more, when the former host of the NBC series "The Apprentice" digs in on a New York Strip, it's been documented that he always has ketchup at the ready.

Anthony Senecal, Trump's longtime butler at Mar-a-Lago, described the future president's steak to The New York Times in 2016, saying the steak was so well done that "it would rock on the plate." Doneness isn't the only questionable aspect where it concerns the two-time commander-in-chief's connection to steaks — in 2007, he made a foray into the meat world with Trump Steaks. The line was characteristically marketed as "The World's Greatest Steaks" and included several cuts of beef as well as lamb, pork, and veal chops. Available via The Sharper Image and QVC, Trump Steaks were discontinued after just a couple of months.

While his presidential campaign of "hope" and "change" got him to the White House in 2008, Barack Obama was apparently more set in his ways when it came to steak. During a 2009 barbecue on the South Lawn to celebrate fatherhood, celebrity chef Bobby Flay asked President Barack Obama about his preference. Obama described himself as a "medium-well guy" before commenting how often he hears complaints about that.

While Flay saw no reason to pressure the president to try his steak rarer than he liked, the Food Network star also didn't publicly correct Obama about believing one of the biggest steak myths. As he received guarantees about being served a medium-well steak, the president decried "all that blood" in reference to the red, protein-rich liquid released from the meat. In fact, it is the myoglobin's exposure to oxygen that presents the red color, which becomes less and less prominent with greater amounts of heat. Years before he would become president himself, then-Vice President Joe Biden — a fan of Philly cheesesteaks — playfully told NBC Philadelphia that "President Obama doesn't know steaks at all."

President Bill Clinton is yet another chief executive known for favoring McDonald's — especially Big Macs — but his steak order is as ostensibly different from President Trump's as his politics. Serving as White House executive chef for Clinton's tenure through much of of President George W. Bush's administration, Walter Scheib chronicled the rather specific steak meal enjoyed by the 42nd president. The man he referred to as "Poppa" likes a porterhouse served medium-rare with béarnaise sauce and a side of onion rings.

Clinton's other specific request was that he only be served his steak when then-First Lady Hillary Clinton wasn't around to challenge him on his diet. Clinton, who underwent a quadruple-bypass surgery in 2004, affirmed to AARP in 2013 that he shifted to a vegan diet. Leaving behind "meat, cheese, milk, even fish. No dairy at all," the former chief executive boasted of dropping 30 pounds in time for his daughter's 2010 wedding.

A life in public service also meant a life in the public eye for the 41st president, including several stories about his love for steak. Anecdotes throughout the years tell of President George H.W. Bush's favor for New York strips and T-bones. No matter which cut he dined on, the Texas transplant preferred his steak prepared "black and blue" or "Pittsburgh style," meaning it was rare in the middle and charred on the outside. In at least one instance, a campaign stop while seeking re-election found his order memorialized as the "Presidential Choice" at Cattlemen's Steakhouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Roughly a quarter century after he spent as much time working on behalf of the American people, Bush passed away at the age of 94. After lying in state, a funeral was held where his eldest son, President George W. Bush gave the eulogy with another steak story. As "Dubya" told it, his father loved one steak so much he had it delivered to the hospital during an extended stay. That steak came from Morton's The Steakhouse and was said to have "paired well" with a bottle of Grey Goose vodka that had been smuggled in by his onetime Secretary of State and White House Chief of Staff James Baker.

In addition to being known for his love of jelly beans — having kept a jar of the colorful candy within reach in the Oval Office — Ronald Reagan enjoyed his steak like others from his adopted home state California. Longtime White House Executive Chef Henry Haller detailed in his 1987 book, "The White House Family Cookbook," explained that that meant served alongside a bowl of chili. More specifically, the chef who'd served every administration from President Lyndon B. Johnson through Reagan recalled how "the Gipper" liked his steak well-done while First Lady Nancy Reagan preferred her steak medium-well.

Haller also recalled how the Hollywood couple that led the Golden State on their way to the White House had a fondness for "old-fashioned roast beef hash." By his account, the Reagans enjoyed the dish served "crisp, yet juicy and flavorful." Of course, it wasn't steaks that the Cold War commander-in-chief handed out as parting gifts to visiting dignitaries. Rather White House guests were sent on their way with their very own jar of jelly beans, complete with the presidential seal.

Peanuts may always be food most associated with President Jimmy Carter, but before he passed away at the age of 100, the man from Plains had built a reputation as a man of the people supported by his love of meat and potatoes. Where it concerned steak, a report from The New York Times printed after his 1976 election detailed that the Georgian politician preferred his sirloin two inches thick, between 12-14 ounces, broiled, and rare. To round out his meal, Carter like a salad topped with Roquefort dressing.

What the peanut farmer could not tolerate were those who dined in the lap of luxury and then claimed posh outings as business expenses. Coming in at the bottom of Food Republic's list of awkward political food gaffes, Carter had slammed the "three-martini lunch" on the '76 campaign trail. In response, then-President Gerald Ford had marked the custom as "the epitome of American efficiency." A vow to keep a dry White House was said to have been more public relations than kept promise as the book, "In the President's Secret Service" recounted the occasional drink from the president as well as First Lady Rosalynn Carter, surely paired with steak dinner from time to time.

While his peers in one of the most exclusive clubs on earth are known for steak preferences in one fashion or another, President Richard Nixon was considered an "enthusiastic" fan of his steak order. Henry Haller's "The White House Family Cookbook" details how the 37th chief executive enjoyed a lightly seasoned, medium-rare double sirloin steak with with the same favor as that of his son-in-law, President Dwight D. Eisenhower's grandson, David Eisenhower.

The California native didn't just enjoy steak at the White House, where Haller describes it as his birthday meal. Nixon would also request sirloin be served while aboard the presidential yacht, the USS Sequoia, and during time spent at the president's country retreat, Camp David. He was also known to enjoy Salisbury steak. What was more surprising to Haller was that when Nixon's first inauguration occurred in 1969, the request for the family dinner was four steaks — to accommodate the president, his daughters, and his son-in-law — and a bowl of cottage cheese for his wife, First Lady Pat Nixon, as it was also a family favorite.

Born and raised in Texas Hill Country, President Lyndon B. Johnson was known for his fondness of regional dishes, particularly Pedernales River Chili. The Stonewall, Texas ranch along that same river was where he grew up and retired, and where visitors would be served a preferred steak order — chicken fried steak. Pounded flat, dipped in egg, breaded, and fried, this Southern favorite includes a helping of white gravy served on or with the meat. LBJ also considered a lean steak part of a lighter breakfast for guests on a diet.

Away from the Lone Star State, Johnson's White House also saw fit to serve up steaks to visiting dignitaries. Francois Rysavy's "A Treasury of White House Cooking" details how a formal dinner held in honor of Princess Irene of Greece included saffron rice pilaf, salad greens, spinach ring, and tournedos for the main course. This French classic is one of the ways to cook one of the best cuts of steak — filet mignon. Pan fried in butter, the cut is made all the more decadent topped with a slice of foie gras and served with a Madeira sauce.

Before his life was cut short at the age of 46, President John F. Kennedy's career from World War II's Pacific theater to his Washington, D.C. Camelot had picked up where his childhood had left off — fraught with illness. While digestive issues earned him a reputation as the smallest presidential eater, second only to Abraham Lincoln, JFK opted for medium-rare when he had the opportunity to enjoy steak. Kennedy was diagnosed with Addison's disease, which primarily impacts the adrenal glands but is also known to cause gastrointestinal issues, and the president similarly contended with colitis and IBS.

Like other presidents, Kennedy didn't limit steak consumption to himself, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and their four children. Before his vice president became his successor and offered tournedos to Greek royalty, the 35th president had similarly served the dish to Peruvian President Manuel Carlos Prado and his delegation. The filets were paired with roast potatoes and green bean with almonds. For dessert, guests delighted in one of the hardest dishes to make from scratch, Gateau St. Honoré. Composed of puff pastry, choux pastry, and caramel, the French dessert also incorporates both chiboust and whipped cream.

From his upbringing in Kansas to his time in Europe serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces during World War II, President Dwight D. Eisenhower saw many a hardscrabble time before reaching the White House. Once he reached it, he'd surprise guests by preparing steaks in a brazen way that has since come to bear his name. Dubbed Eisenhower steak, Ike, said to have enjoyed his meat rare, would rub some garlic and oil on steak before heating it directly on hot coals. When having "outdoor steak," the president liked sirloin or New York strip.

Of course, he didn't always prepare his own steak, but he did enjoy it a great deal. Records show that the White House kitchen had whipped up rare beef for the WWII hero no fewer than five times in the first month after he was inaugurated. Unlike the rustic methods employed by the commander-in-chief, chefs served Eisenhower's rare sirloin broiled. As an added touch, the steak would be prepared with different sauces; horseradish on one occasion and a mock hollandaise at another time.