US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Coca-Cola has agreed to replace high-fructose corn syrup with real cane sugar in its flagship soft drink sold in the United States — a move he says came at his suggestion.
However, the beverage giant has not confirmed such a change.
If implemented, the shift would align U.S. Coca-Cola with versions sold in countries like Mexico and Australia, where cane sugar is already standard. The change would not impact Trump’s preferred beverage, Diet Coke, which continues to use the artificial sweetener aspartame.
“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
A Coca-Cola Co. spokesperson responded by thanking Trump for his interest and said the Atlanta-based company would soon release more details about new product developments. No confirmation was given regarding a shift to cane sugar.
Coca-Cola has catered to fans of cane sugar for years by importing glass-bottled “Mexican Coke” since 2005. A broader switch in U.S. production, however, could have economic implications — particularly for American corn farmers, whose crops are used to produce high-fructose corn syrup.
“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense,” said John Bode, president and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association. “President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers, and reducing the trade deficit. Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit.”
Despite his loyalty to Diet Coke — famously having a red button in the Oval Office to summon a can — Trump’s relationship with the brand has been rocky. In 2012, he publicly questioned whether diet sodas contribute to weight gain and tweeted, “The Coca Cola company is not happy with me — that’s okay, I’ll still keep drinking that garbage.”
Nevertheless, his fondness for the drink has endured, with a bottle spotted beside him at the 2017 G20 summit. A 2018 New York Times report claimed he consumed up to a dozen Diet Cokes a day.