Kathrine Frich
The late butler painted a picture of a man who knew exactly what he liked.
When a person reaches the highest office in the land, you might expect their tastes to become a little more refined.
But sometimes the most powerful figures stick strictly to their old, familiar comforts.
And a few former staff members know exactly what happens behind closed doors.
Behind closed doors
Tony Senecal spent almost two decades catering to the daily needs of Donald Trump. He worked as a butler at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and learned exactly how to keep his boss happy.
According to an interview with Inside Edition cited by the Irish Star, Senecal described the US president as a creature of habit. The former employee noted that the billionaire was a “picky eater” who stuck to a very rigid menu.
He rarely deviated from his favourite meals. The kitchen staff always knew exactly what to prepare when it was time for dinner.
No greens allowed
The daily requests were incredibly simple. Senecal told Inside Edition, “It was pretty much, ‘Tony, bring me a cheeseburger and don’t forget the ketchup.’ If it’s vegetables, he doesn’t want to see them. That’s pretty much it.”
If a burger was not on the menu, a steak usually took its place. But the meat had to be cooked thoroughly, always served well done.
The late butler painted a picture of a man who knew exactly what he liked. Senecal added, “He’s a red-blooded, meat-eating American.”
A troubled history
Senecal later transitioned into a new role at the Florida estate. He became the in-house historian and led property tours until he died at age 78 in April 2020.
His time in the spotlight also took a dark turn. During the 2016 campaign, social media posts surfaced where Senecal called for the execution of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
The Secret Service looked into the threats immediately. The Trump campaign quickly distanced itself from the remarks, and Trump himself publicly called the comments “disgusting.”
He offered a blunt assessment of his former employee. Trump stated, “Mr. Senecal is obviously a very troubled man.”
Rules for the chair
The strict instructions extended far beyond the dining room. Adrian Wood cut the president’s hair for more than two decades and faced his own set of rigid rules.
Wood told Inside Edition that Trump maintained absolute control over the clippers. The barber could only trim the edges of his hair.
He explained the micromanaged process in detail. Wood recalled, “He’ll say, ‘Cut here, cut here, cut here. And you would start trimming and then he’d say, ‘Oh, that’s enough there’.”
The top of the head remained strictly off limits during every single visit. Wood noted, “We never cut this part of his head. This part of his head, he takes care of himself.”
Sources: The Irish Star, Inside Edition, The Mirror
