Trump takes credit for sweet change to Coca-Cola

By CNN Newsource

Published July 16, 2025 11:28 PM

By Betsy Klein, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump announced what could be refreshing news to some Americans on Wednesday: thanks to him, Coke is changing its American recipe.

“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,” Trump said in a post to social media. “This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”

A spokesperson for The Coca-Cola Company did not confirm the change, but told CNN in a statement, “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.”

The president’s devotion to Diet Coke has been well-documented, including his “Diet Coke button,” a small wooden box with a red button on the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office that summons a presidential valet to deliver the beverage.

He has, however, sparred with the company in the past, including in 2021, when Coca-Cola spoke out against its home state of Georgia’s laws restricting voting access. His properties, however, continued to sell its products.

Even back in 2012, the then-businessman posted that the company was “not happy” with him, but conceded, “That’s okay, I’ll still keep drinking that garbage.”

Things appeared to sweeten in January when Coca-Cola chairman James Quincey presented Trump with an Inaugural Diet Coke Bottle ahead of his second swearing-in. That commemorative bottle – and Trump’s Wednesday announcement – are just some of many examples that underscore the president’s newfound power in corporate America in his second term.

American Coca-Cola is made with high-fructose corn syrup, something that Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has aggressively advocated against. Its Mexican counterpart is made with cane sugar, a significant export of the country, and is commercially available in the US.

On Thursday, the CEO of PepsiCo did not confirm when asked by CNBC if the Coca-Cola rival would remove high-fructose corn syrup, but said there is “opportunity” for sugar cane in their products.

“Sugar is more expensive in the US than in many parts of the world, so I think there is a conversation with the government probably on how do we make sugar more affordable in the US, how do we have a farming strategy probably that reduces the cost of sugar and that will facilitate a lot of the transition for us and for the whole industry,” Ramon Laguarta said.

Laguarta, who noted that 60% of PepsiCo’s US beverages already do not contain high-fructose corn syrup, added that it’s important, “we have choices for the consumer, which, at the end, that’s what we as a responsible company need to do in the marketplace.”

This story has been updated with additional information.