9 US Presidents and the Favorite Candies They Couldn’t Resist Behind the White House Doors

This post may contain affiliate links.

Presidents may shape laws, lead through crises, and sit through endless briefings, but their candy choices make them feel surprisingly human.

A favorite sweet can tell us something small but charming about a leader’s private life, from old-fashioned fudge served in the family kitchen to jelly beans stacked in Oval Office jars. Some candy stories come from official libraries, White House traditions, or public anecdotes, while others survive because they became part of a president’s image. Here are nine U.S. presidents and the candies they were famously linked to.

William Howard Taft and Taffy

William Howard Taft’s candy connection almost sounds too perfect, because yes, Taft liked taffy. His name and the candy’s name were so close that campaign culture leaned into the joke, and taffy became part of the public image around him.

The chewy candy fit the early 1900s, when wrapped sweets were becoming more common and more affordable for everyday Americans. Taft’s fondness for the treat also matched his reputation as a man who enjoyed rich food, hearty meals, and little pleasures without much apology. For a president remembered for both his size and his larger-than-life personality, taffy feels like the kind of candy history would have invented if it had not already been true.

Herbert Hoover and Chocolate Marshmallows

Herbert Hoover’s favorite candy choice had a soft, old-fashioned charm: chocolate marshmallows. Marshmallows had moved from medicinal roots into the candy world by the early 20th century, and chocolate coating made them feel more like a real treat than a simple pantry sweet. Hoover’s taste also reflected a period when homemade candy and family-style desserts still carried a lot of cultural weight. This was not flashy candy.

It was gentle, familiar, and comforting, which set it apart from Hoover’s difficult presidency during the Great Depression. There is something almost tender about imagining him reaching for a chocolate marshmallow, a small pocket of sweetness in a hard historical moment.

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie’s Million Dollar Fudge

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s candy story belongs partly to him and partly to First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. Mamie’s Million Dollar Fudge became one of the most famous White House sweet recipes of the 1950s, and the Eisenhower Presidential Library still lists it among Mamie’s favorite recipes.

The recipe is gloriously rich, built with sugar, evaporated milk, chocolate, marshmallow cream, butter, and nuts, the kind of dessert that feels designed for holidays, guests, and second helpings. Eisenhower had the stern public image of a military commander, but fudge softened the picture. It turned the White House into something warmer: a home where chocolate could compete with politics for attention.

Lyndon B. Johnson and Peanut Brittle Plus Texas Chewies

Lyndon B. Johnson had a serious sweet tooth, and peanut brittle was one of the desserts listed among his favorites by the LBJ Presidential Library. That choice makes sense for a Texas president who loved bold, familiar, no-nonsense food.

Peanut brittle is a kind of candy. It cracks, sticks, crunches, and refuses to be delicate. Johnson was also linked to Texas Chewie Pecan Pralines from Lammes Candies, a rich Austin confection made with caramel and Texas pecans. It is hard to imagine a more fitting candy personality for LBJ: big flavor, local pride, and a little bit of sticky drama.

Jimmy Carter and Peanut Brittle

Jimmy Carter’s peanut brittle connection feels almost inevitable. Before he entered national politics, Carter was deeply tied to peanuts through his Georgia roots and family business, and peanuts became part of his public identity.

The National Park Service notes that Carter’s family raised peanuts, and he sold boiled peanuts as a child in Plains, Georgia. Peanut brittle took that story and turned it into candy: sugar, butter, vanilla, and peanuts hardened into a golden sheet of Southern nostalgia. A Carter family peanut brittle recipe has even appeared in National Archives materials, giving the candy a stronger historical link than a simple rumor.

Ronald Reagan and Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

No presidential candy story is more famous than Ronald Reagan’s love of Jelly Belly jelly beans. Reagan first used jelly beans as a way to help stop pipe smoking, and the habit followed him from California politics into the White House. The Reagan Library notes that the Herman Goelitz Candy Company supplied Jelly Belly beans to the Reagan White House throughout his presidency. His favorite flavor was widely reported as licorice, which adds a funny twist because black jelly beans are famously divisive. Reagan’s candy choice became so iconic that jars of jelly beans seemed almost like part of the Oval Office furniture.

Barack Obama and Fran’s Smoked Salt Caramels

Barack Obama’s favorite candy sounds much more modern and gourmet: Fran’s Smoked Salt Caramels from Seattle. These chocolates paired buttery caramel with milk chocolate and smoked sea salt, giving Obama a sweet-salty treat that felt polished without being fussy.

The Guardian reported that the Obamas’ affection for Fran’s chocolates boosted demand, while Fran’s itself has described the smoked-salted caramels as a favorite Obama shared with White House visitors. It is a very 21st-century presidential candy choice. Not a drugstore bar, not a nostalgic brittle, but an artisan caramel with just enough sophistication to feel presidential.

Joe Biden and Snickers

Joe Biden’s candy personality lands in classic American checkout-lane territory: Snickers. In 2019, he weighed in online with the line “Sorry America, the correct answer is Snickers,” giving the candy bar a very public endorsement.

Biden later brought Snickers into a much bigger conversation during his 2024 State of the Union remarks, using the bar as an example while discussing shrinkflation. That does not prove Snickers is his only favorite, but it clearly shows the candy stayed in his mind and public language. It also fits his image as a retail-politics figure who gravitates toward familiar, widely loved American staples.

Donald Trump and Pink Starburst Plus Tootsie Rolls

Donald Trump’s candy preferences are unusually specific. He has been linked for years to red and pink Starburst, especially cherry and strawberry pieces, after an anecdote involving Kevin McCarthy and a jar filled only with those flavors.

In 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also told children during a White House event that Trump likes pink Starbursts and Tootsie Rolls, and that he eats a “good amount” of candy. The detail feels very Trumpian: selective, brand-heavy, and easy to remember. Plenty of people have a favorite candy, but very few have a favorite color arrangement inside the candy bag.

Conclusion

Presidential candy choices may seem like tiny details, but they make history more fun to hold. Taft’s taffy, Reagan’s jelly beans, Carter’s peanut brittle, Obama’s smoked salt caramels, and Trump’s pink Starburst all show how personal taste can turn into public trivia.

Some choices reflect hometown roots, some reflect family recipes, and some become famous because the president repeated them often enough for the country to notice. These sweets do not explain presidencies, but they do add color to the people behind the office. In the end, candy gives us a rare kind of presidential history: small, sticky, sweet, and easy to remember.