Obama's Savage Take On This Popular Condiment Is Breaking The Internet

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Barack Obama impacted the U.S. in many ways during his two terms as president. Alongside his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, the former commander in chief showed a real investment in improving the nutritional standards of children in American schools. From what we know of his personal life, Obama's diet mostly focuses on healthy foods, though he does make room for indulgences like cheeseburgers. The politician also holds some controversial opinions about food, such as his preference for well done steak. And on a recent episode of Michelle Obama's "In My Opinion" podcast), the ex-president shared what might be his most controversial food opinion of all. 

"You should not eat ketchup after the age of 8," Obama explains to the amusement of his wife and her podcast co-host/brother Craig Robinson. He admits his position on ketchup is "draconian," while Michelle Obama characterizes the ketchup struggles in their household as "battling against the Man" before revealing that their daughters remain ketchup fans, regardless of their dad's protests. 

Despite the condiment's popularity, the former president's view makes some sense. Ketchup is tasty, but most commercial brands contain an astounding amount of sugar. This high sugar content is perhaps what makes the condiment so kid-friendly, which is probably why Obama links ketchup to childish eating behaviors. Nevertheless, ketchup lovers were quick to comment on social media, with one Reddit user joking, "Don't listen to this man, he has been bought and paid for by the mustard lobby. Don't fall for this mustard propaganda!" Another writes, "Those are fighting words, Obama. The sort that will have chairs flying and tables overturning."

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Lest you think Barack Obama's ketchup comments were engineered to lend wife Michelle's podcast a bit of fun controversy, he's shared similar sentiments before. Appearing in an episode of "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown," Obama stated that ketchup on a hot dog is never acceptable. He then amended his statement by clarifying, "It's not acceptable past the age of 8." And when Bourdain revealed he wasn't sure how to handle his own 8-year-old daughter putting ketchup on her eggs, Obama jokingly suggested the celebrity chef stage an intervention. 

Obama's ketchup-on-hot-dogs opinion is less controversial, as the former president spent a lot of his academic and professional life in Chicago, a place where putting ketchup on a hot dog is akin to a punishable offense. As for his preferred condiment, the former President once invited controversy because he dared to order a burger with Dijon mustard. A partiality for mustard over ketchup is rather tame when it comes to presidential scandals, but it just goes to show that Americans can be very passionate about their food preferences.