--- title: Before Trump and Kasich: 15 Photos of Candidates Eating description: Attention has turned to John Kasich's election-seasonl eating habits, but he's far from the first candidate to campaign on his stomach canonical: https://time.com/4307179/john-kasich-donald-trump-eating-campaign-trail/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-25T21:52:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:30.016Z article:section: History og:title: A Brief Visual History of Eating on the Campaign Trail og:description: Make America eat again og:url: https://time.com/4307179/john-kasich-donald-trump-eating-campaign-trail/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt852172b157f02cff/69889095a988ca67b06b7954/160425-campaign-eating-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2345 og:image:height: 1319 og:image:alt: Eating on the Campaign Trail og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Brief Visual History of Eating on the Campaign Trail twitter:description: Make America eat again twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt852172b157f02cff/69889095a988ca67b06b7954/160425-campaign-eating-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Brief Visual History of Eating on the Campaign Trail > Sponsored content. 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Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=182a734f-87aa-4a3b-b983-d7904b6b1d55&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=182a734f-87aa-4a3b-b983-d7904b6b1d55&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Apr 25, 2016 9:52 PM UTC  Robert Kennedy, managing his brother's presidential campaign, stops for a snack at a restaurant in Spanish Harlem. August 25, 1960. Robert Kennedy, managing his brother's presidential campaign, stops for a snack at a restaurant in Spanish Harlem. August 25, 1960. Bettmann—Getty Images by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Apr 25, 2016 9:52 PM UTC On Monday, the Republican presidential race returned to a subject that has deep roots in the history of American politics: what, where and how candidates eat while they campaign. At an event in Rhode Island, candidate Donald Trump mocked the eating habits of his rival John Kasich, saying that he had “never seen a human being eat in such a disgusting fashion.” (Kasich earned [attention](https://twitter.com/maxwelltani/status/718119738438729728?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc^tfw) in New York for “going wild” with two helpings of spaghetti.) It’s [not the first time](http://time.com/4296876/new-york-primary-food-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-john-kasich-ted-cruz/?iid=sr-link2) that the 2016 race has turned culinary, as Hillary Clinton’s [hot sauce choices ](http://time.com/4297996/hillary-clinton-hot-sauce/)and Bernie Sanders’ [soul-food sit-down](http://time.com/4125665/bernie-sanders-killer-mike/) have also garnered headlines. And candidates have long campaigned on their stomachs, breaking bread with citizens across the country as a way to demonstrate their solidarity with local people—and to keep up their energy on the long road toward Election Day. It has become, as the New York _Times_ [phrased](http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1976/04/05/75586749.html?pageNumber=26) it in 1976, “one of the more familiar rites” of an election year. [_Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter_](http://time.com/newsletter) To celebrate that rite, here’s a look back at some of the campaign chow that has graced the plates of America’s most famous politicians.  Gov. Joseph Ely of Massachusetts, left, candidate for re-election, and Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York, stop for a hot dog on the Mohawk Trail in Massachusetts, Oct. 30, 1932, where they are campaigning together. AP Photo  Adlai E. Stevenson (3L), Massachusetts Governor Paul Denver (4L) and John F. Kennedy (L) during their campaign trail, eating, 1952. Mark Kauffman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  President Eisenhower drinks soda from a bottle during the big Republican rally at his Gettysburg farm, which was the kickoff of his campaign for re-election. Sept. 13, 1956. Bettmann—Getty Images  Richard M. Nixon eating cranberries with his meal during campaign. 1959. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Robert Kennedy, managing his brother's presidential campaign, stops for a snack at a restaurant in Spanish Harlem. August 25, 1960. Bettmann—Getty Images  Democratic Presidential nominee Jimmy Carter, left, eats some freshly roasted barbecue chicken with his brother Billy Carter at Billy's gas station, Sept 11, 1976, Plains, Ga. Jeff Taylor—AP Photo  During the election campaign, President Gerald Ford and his running mate Bob Dole eat hot dogs at a photo opportunity in Dole's hometown, Russell, Kansas, August 1976. Dirck Halstead—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Senator Ted Kennedy laughs as he shares a meal with unidentified supporters at a restaurant during his campaign tour for the Democratic nomination for president, 1980. Robert R. McElroy—Getty Images  Former Vice President Walter Mondale holds an apron bearing an image of a bagel-presented to him during a visit to Zabar's Deli, campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination. March 25, 1984. Bettmann—Getty Images  Sen. Gary Hart bites into a slice of pizza while on the campaign trail in Boston's historic Faneuil Hall district, March 5, 1984. George Whitney—AP Photo  President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush patronizing food stand during campaign stop at state fair. Aug. 23, 1992. Dirck Halstead—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton eats an ice cream cone with running mate Al Gore at the My Favorite shop in Buffalo, New York. The candidates are on the last day of their third bus tour. Aug. 23, 1992. Tim Clary—AFP/Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole and California Governor Pete Wilson grill a steak during the annual Republican steak and Oyster Feed in Sacramento, Calif., Oct. 27, 1996\. Dole was in the middle of a three day campaign trip through California. J. David Ake—AFP/Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan and wife Shelley eat lunch at the local McDonald's restaurant in Greenwood, South Carolina, during a break while driving across the state for campaign stops. Feb. 28, 1996. Chris Wilkins—AFP/Getty Images  Vice President and presidential candidate Al Gore laughs as he stirs a vegetable stew as volunteer Veronica Park(2nd-L), Rep. Tony Hall, D-OH, and volunteer Olivia Ivy(R) look on during food preparation for the homeless as part of World Hunger Day Oct. 15, 1999, at Martha's Table in Washington, DC. 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