The eating habits of U.S. Presidents have always been a fascination of the American people, but only former President Bill Clinton can say he shares a favorite sandwich with music idol Elvis Presley. In many ways, Clinton is the first truly modern President when it comes to food tastes. Lists of the Presidents’ favorite foods are filled with old-school dishes, from apple pie and pot roast to George H.W. Bush’s love of pork rinds. Clinton, however, famously loved fast food, with his go-to being a jalapeño cheeseburger. He was even spoofed in a notorious “Saturday Night Live” sketch about ordering cheeseburgers at McDonald’s. But when asked what his favorite sandwich was on the campaign trail back in 1992, he revealed it was actually peanut butter and banana.
Now, purists may debate whether a hamburger is actually a sandwich and say the jalapeño cheeseburger should qualify, but Clinton himself seemed to be talking specifically about the sandwiches he made at home. And it’s not surprising that he shared tastes with “The King.” Clinton is a well-documented Elvis fan, reportedly owning a large collection of Presley-themed memorabilia. His security detail even used “Elvis” as his codename. However, Clinton didn’t use the same recipe as the rock star, seemingly keeping it simple with just the banana and peanut butter. Elvis, on the other hand, liked a much more decadent version of the sandwich involving bacon.
Bill Clinton shared Elvis’ taste for peanut butter and banana sandwiches
There are two big things that set Elvis’ version of the peanut butter and banana sandwich apart. The first was obviously the bacon, which adds a satisfying crunch and saltiness. But maybe the most unique thing was the butter. Not only did The King prefer his sandwiches fried in butter; he liked a staggering amount — his personal chef reported that he would use two whole sticks of butter for every three sandwiches. While Clinton was often dinged during his campaign for his unhealthy eating habits, he never ate anything like that.
And that wasn’t even the most indulgent version of peanut butter and bacon sandwich associated with the star. After a 1976 Denver concert, Elvis famously enjoyed a version called the Fool’s Gold Loaf from a now-closed local restaurant. It was made with a whole loaf of sourdough bread, and included blueberry jam, peanut butter, and bacon. It was even deep fried. The calorie count of this massive sandwich has been estimated at over 8,000. Elvis loved it so much that he flew back to Denver just so the owner of the restaurant could deliver the sandwich to his private plane in the airport hangar.
Unlike Elvis, whose hard-eating ways quickly caught up with him, Clinton became a vegan in the early 2010s. He credited the change in habits to his struggles with heart disease. That may mean no more cheeseburgers, but fortunately for the former president, that doesn’t exclude a peanut butter and banana sandwich every now and then.
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