Donald Trump has alarming theory about diet soda and cancer after justifying his habit

Donald Trump has defended his love of diet soda with a bizarre health theory.

Now, it's no secret that the US President, 79, is a fan of junk food and fizzy drinks - in fact, his love for Diet Coke specifically is so strong that during his first term installed a button on the Oval Office desk to notify White House staffers to top up his cup. Yes, really.

And according to Vice, it was reinstalled for term two to satisfy his obsession, which sees him down a whopping 12 cans a day, as per the New York Times.

Now, it's been revealed that the Republican leader has no issue with the habit, as he thinks diet soda can kill cancer cells. You read that right.

Dr. Mehmet Oz made the disturbing revelation during a recent appearance on Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast, Triggered with Don Jr., on Monday (13 April).

For those unfamiliar with Oz, he's currently serving as the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, after being appointed last April.

Dr. Oz revealed that Donald Trump has a bizarre belief about drinking diet sodas (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The celebrity doctor first trained as a surgeon before rising to fame as a regular health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the early 2000s.

Speaking to the US President's eldest son, the doctor recalled: “Your dad argues that diet soda is good for him because it kills grass - if poured on grass - so, therefore, it must kill cancer cells inside the body."

He elaborated: “You know, we were on Air Force One the other day, and I walk in there because he wants to talk about something, and he's got an orange soft drink on his desk. He's got a Fanta on the desk. And I say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ So he starts to, like, sheepishly grin. He says, ‘You know, this stuff’s good for me, it kills cancer cells.'"

Oz also revealed that Trump joked that Fanta could not be bad for him because it's 'fresh squeezed'.

Oz is the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Trump Jr. stuck up for his dad as he responded: “OK, OK, but then maybe he’s onto something. Because I will say this: I know a lot of guys pushing 80 - not a lot have his level of energy, recall, stamina."

Hitting out at the bizarre comments, one X user wrote: "I like how they laugh. Like, that's not at all an absolutely moronic thing to say and not at all concerning that this is the president of the United fkn States were talking about. Ffs."

While a second agreed: "Lol.. we're living in the dumbest f***ing times with the dumbest people in charge. It's crazy, man!"

And a third sarcastically joked: "Billions spent on finding a cure for cancer and all this time it's been sitting on Trump's desk."

Tyla has contacted the White House for comment.