Donald Trump campaigned heavily on a pledge of “no tax on tips,” and delivered a version of that in his One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But when it comes to tipping workers himself, Trump has made it clear in a new interview that he’s not a fan.
According to a Daily Beast piece, which cited an interview with Fox News’ Sunday Briefing, Trump has admitted that “I usually tip because if I don’t, I end up with a lot of publicity that I didn’t tip. But I get good service.” Peter Doocey had asked Trump whether or not he tips in “a mediocre restaurant.”
It’s not often that President Trump gets asked personal questions, but @pdoocy asked him the following:
– How much does he tip at a restaurant?
– How much money does he typically carry?
– Favorite TV show?
– What would he eat if he could only choose 1 thing?
– What kind of… pic.twitter.com/h0xRchTLY2— TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) September 21, 2025
When asked how much money he typically has in his pocket when he goes out to eat in Washington, Trump said “about $200,” since he’s “not traveling too heavy,” although that’s likely a lot more money than a typical American carries around most days.
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Also, when asked what his favorite non-news TV shows are, Trump answered that he doesn’t watch much TV, aside from sports and sports shows. Then, he bragged that he had helped “save” the Ryder Cup. He also listed “steak” as his favorite food, and a Ferrari as the car he long wanted to drive when he was growing up.
Trump, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2004, around the time he was starring on The Apprentice, shared some information about his pre-presidency money spending habits.
The reporter asked Trump “When you withdraw money from the ATM, does the bank fold in on itself and disappear before your very eyes?,” to which Trump replied, “I’ve never used an ATM.”
In a Playboy interview, later on in 2004, Trump was asked to open his wallet and discuss the contents, and he answered, “Not much money, actually. A Platinum American Express card, some golf club cards, other credit cards, pictures of the family, a newspaper write-up on one of my new projects and, let’s see, three $1 bills. One has a picture of my father on it. The other two are from bets I won.” He also repeated the line that he had never used an ATM, but “of course, I always have access to money, and I have hundreds of checking accounts. But I don’t handle cash a lot.” He added that when he goes out to restaurants, “I always get free meals.”
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
