Why Donald Trump Doesn't Like Drinking Alcohol
Although Donald Trump's image makes him portrayed as a wealthy playboy, the president is a proud man who doesn't drink alcohol, that he never drinks, smokes, or takes drugs. But what was the real reason he chose that way of life? One possible reason is that Trump never wants to get out of hand and is afraid of losing his restraint.
Candidate judge for the United States Supreme Court (US), Brett Kavanaugh, pronounced the word "beer" 29 times before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
"I love beer," a federal judge testified.
"I still like beer."
But there is one person who hates beer - and who doesn't admire Kavanaugh's enthusiasm for the malt - is the man who nominated him for the high court: US President Donald Trump.
"I don't drink beer," Trump told reporters Tuesday. “I never drink beer. And I'm not saying it's good or bad, some people like it. I just chose not to do that for many reasons. "
The day before, Trump told reporters that abstinence from alcohol was "one of my good qualities."
Although Trump has defended Kavanaugh in public, he has told his confidant in recent days that he doesn't like to focus on his drinking habits, according to many advisers.
"The president doesn't like to drink, and so Kavanaugh talking about how much he likes beer pissed Trump off," said a person close to the White House who was briefed on the president's private conversations and asked for anonymity to discuss the president's views.
"It doesn't disqualify (Kavanaugh) or cause anything serious, but he doesn't like drinkers."
The image of Kavanaugh as a moral fraternity brother is taking shape.
On NBC Saturday Night Live - whose comedic image caught Trump's attention, even when he claimed not to watch it - actor Matt Damon described Kavanaugh as addicted to "brewski" and ended his mock Senate testimony by shooting a can of beer.
For a high-profile chief executive, Trump's life has been extraordinarily seamless and boundless. In many aspects of his life, he creates chaos and, at times, gets out of control. But a rare area of self-discipline is his alcohol consumption.
Although Trump's image portrays him as a wealthy playboy who used to party at the legendary Studio 54 in New York, the president is someone who doesn't drink alcohol and proudly says he has never drunk, smoked, or taken drugs.
"Every time they were looking for something, I would say, 'I've never had a glass of alcohol,'" Trump told reporters Monday.
“Can you imagine, if I did, how messy I would be? What will I become — I will be the worst in the world. "
His old colleague said Trump likes to have absolute control over his situation - always - and is afraid of losing his restraint. And they said that he had a high degree of indifference to those who had lost self-control, and saw them as weak.
"One of the main reasons I think Trump avoided alcohol is that he never wanted to get out of hand," said Tony Schwartz, Trump's co-author of The Art of the Deal, a 1987 bestseller.
"It makes her feel weak and vulnerable under any circumstances where she feels it's a risk."
But Trump's views on alcohol are also inspired by the experiences of his older brother, Fred, an airline pilot who struggled with alcoholism and died at the age of 43 in 1981.
"I think he's afraid of the effects alcohol has on people, because he's witnessed firsthand how it ruined his brother's life, and I think he's a person who doesn't drink alcohol because he's afraid it's happening to himself," said Tim O'Brien, author of the biography. TrumpNation.
"He is basically Mr. Id, and if Mr. Id become an alcoholic, everything is at stake. "
Although Trump competed with Fred for their father's attention and had a less than harmonious relationship with his brother, the president said one of the saddest moments in his life was Fred's death.
“I have a brother, Fred. Great man, best looking man, best personality — much better than me, ”Trump said last year at a White House event focused on the opioid crisis.
"But he has a problem. He's got a problem with alcohol. And he would tell me: 'Don't drink. Don't drink. '
O'Brien said: "I think Freddy's trip sparked fear in the president, and it was a tragedy in their family history, and both of those things made him very uncomfortable around people with drinking problems."
One former White House official explained that Fred's alcoholism had a profound impact on Trump as a younger man, who used his instincts to respond to his drinking problem.
"He generally doesn't want to talk about morals, but on the alcohol issue, he's a tough line," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to give an honest assessment.
Trump, however, has not forced those around him to abstain (from alcohol) - and has actually tried to profit from adult drinking.
The Trump organization owns wine in Virginia and Trump has promoted Trump-branded vodka, which he says is designed to compete with the prestigious Gray Goose brand.
"What we're trying to do is the best," Trump enthusiastically said in a 2006 interview with CNN's Larry King. The brand was discontinued in the United States in 2011.
Many of the president's staff, as well as those working on his campaign, are also social drinkers who can often be found - with a drink in hand - at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, or sharing a drink casually with journalists.
One notable exception was Vice President Mike Pence, who said he would not attend events with alcohol without his wife by his side, and which kept Air Force Two alcohol-free.
Speaking about Kavanaugh to reporters on Monday, Trump joked and noted that there were "bad reports about everyone here," before specifically addressing his vice president.
"Except for Mike Pence, by the way," Trump said.
"And if we find him (drinking alcohol) ... it will be the greatest shock of all time."
However, in an overt and subtle manner, the president has made no secret of his disdain for alcohol and those who abuse it.
In a 2010 interview with King, Trump turned to his four-year-old son, Barron, and offered clear advice to remember when he gets older: "No drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes."
In a later interview, Trump said he passed the same strict rules on to his older children, and that daughter Ivanka would tell him: "Dad, you drive me crazy."
“I have seen people who have very bright children. When they get bad because of drugs or alcohol - and I add cigarettes in there - but when they get bad, these kids get knocked out, "Trump said on MSNBC's Morning Joe show in 2015.
“It doesn't matter how smart. The world is very competitive so you can't lose that extra percentage. "
Trump said he once lost respect for a famous banker - whom he did not name - after he appeared drunk to address several thousand people at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York.
"I saw him today and I don't feel the same way (to respect him)," Trump told CNN reporter Piers Morgan in 2011.
“We took him out. He was very drunk at a big dinner. "
At last year's White House opioid event, the president also explained that he had difficulty empathizing with friends who "have a hard time abstaining from alcohol at dinner" and may struggle with alcohol.
"I said to myself, I couldn't even understand it," Trump said.
"Why is it (not drinking) so hard?"
And on Monday, when asked by reporters if he was worried about Kavanaugh misrepresenting his youthful drink before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the president took a question - about the credibility of his candidate - and turned it into a single opinion on alcohol use.
"I was surprised how vocal he was about the fact that he liked beer," Trump said.
"And he has a little trouble."
Speaking at a political rally in Mississippi on Tuesday evening, the president even implied that a Democratic senator — quoting the senator's name without evidence — may have a drinking problem.
During lunch last month at the UN General Assembly, red wine was served to assembled world leaders - but not to American presidents.
To a toast to his friends, Trump raised his wine glass. It contains Diet Coke.
