Donald Trump has stirred things up once again—this time claiming that Coca-Cola is planning to tweak its recipe in the US, apparently after speaking with him about it.
For decades, Americans have been sipping on Coca-Cola since its very first glass was poured in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. The drink was invented by Dr. John Pemberton, who created a flavored syrup and brought it to Jacob’s Pharmacy. There, it was blended with fizzy water and sold for five cents a glass.
While the classic taste is known around the world, Coca-Cola has gone through a few changes over the years. The most dramatic shift? Back in 1903, the drink quietly dropped its most controversial ingredient—cocaine. Yep, you read that right. At one time, people were drinking a fizzy beverage that actually contained a controlled substance now classified as a schedule II drug.
Now, at 79 years old, Trump is once again making waves—this time by putting pressure on one of America’s biggest beverage companies. The former president, who’s known to have a strong preference for Diet Coke, claims he’s convinced them to make a major change.
He took to Truth Social to make the announcement: “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.”
“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!”
Trump, however, is now pushing for a return to cane sugar—ideally sourced from within the US as part of a bigger change to the drink’s formula.
Responding to Trump’s statements, The Coca-Cola Company told People magazine: “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
Interestingly, back in April—just a few months before Trump’s social media post—Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey had already hinted at upcoming changes. During a talk with investors, he said the company is actively working to lower the sugar content in their drinks.
He pointed out that they’ve managed to make progress by tweaking existing recipes and using their global marketing and distribution channels to highlight new product options.
So, even if a change is on the horizon, it wouldn’t be completely new territory for Coca-Cola. In fact, countries like Australia and Mexico already use cane sugar in their Coke, so the flavor profile that could be coming to the US might actually be familiar to fans overseas.