Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
A plethora of celebrities and political figures have chosen to live a life without alcohol, including Spider-Man actors Tom Holland and Zendaya, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, and even Donald Trump.
The 78-year-old, who was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States in January 2025, previously claimed abstaining from alcohol was ‘one of [his] only good traits’.
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With around two-thirds of American adults reporting they drink alcohol (via Pew Research Centre), people like Trump going booze-free can feel like somewhat of a commodity.
However, history buffs will already be aware that a teetotal president occupying the White House is no new feat.
Famously, George W Bush thought enough was enough, quitting drinking on his 40th birthday, while Jimmy Carter elected for no hard liquor while he was in office to maintain his image.
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Joe Biden - who would eventually go on to become the 46th president - admitted in 2008 that he never sipped on cocktails or drank beer because there were already ‘enough alcoholics in [his] family’.
Ten years after the Democrat revealed why he had an aversion to alcohol, Trump came out with his own confession.
The father-of-five said he abstained because of how his late brother Frederick Crist Trump Jr. had tragically lost his life to alcoholism.
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"I had a brother, Fred. Great guy, best-looking guy, best personality, much better than mine,” he said during a 2018 press conference.
"But he had a problem. He had a problem with alcohol, and he would tell me, 'Don't drink. Don't drink.' He was substantially older, and I listened to him and I respected [him].”
A year later, Trump discussed his late sibling and his battle with alcoholism further, telling the Washington Post that the pilot had died at the age of 42 from a heart attack caused by drink abuse.
"He was so handsome, and I saw what alcohol did to him even physically... and that had an impact on me, too.
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"Let’s say I started drinking, it’s very possible I wouldn’t be talking to you right now.”
Determined to avoid the fate of his brother, Trump chose the path of sobriety and has always lived an alcohol-free life.
"As they’re downing scotches, he’d be downing Diet Cokes,” Gwenda Blair told the New York Times in 2020.
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“It’s part of his ultracompetitive profile. This is a guy who is so competitive that his high school coach said he was the most coachable kid he had ever coached because unlike most kids, Donald remembered what he needed to win.”
While Trump credits his brother’s death with being the reason he doesn’t drink, the businessman appears not to be totally adverse to alcohol, having once promoted a vodka brand.
Meanwhile, his golf clubs and hotels sell alcohol, and the Trump Organization owns a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, Alcohol, Food and Drink, Health
Ella Scott