Late Tuesday, President Trump announced on social media that he had convinced Coca-Cola to agree to use "REAL Cane Sugar" in Coke, in lieu of the current, cheaper sweetener used in the US version of the drink: high-fructose corn syrup.
"I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them—You’ll see. It's just better!" Trump wrote.
On Wednesday, Coca-Cola failed to confirm that supposed agreement. On its website, the beverage giant posted a brief, vague statement saying "We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand" and that "More details on new innovative offerings" will be announced soon.
Coca-Cola produces Coke with cane sugar in many other places in the world, including Mexico. And it imports Mexican Coke into the US for some diehard fans.
But the company doesn't seem eager to concede that cane sugar is superior to high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In a reply post on social media late Wednesday, Coca-Cola defended HFCS. The post was in response to a fawning message from Fox News celebrating Trump's announcement. "CHEERS!: President @realdonaldtrump celebrates a new win for the ‘MAHA’ movement," Fox wrote, referring to the Make America Healthy Again slogan touted by health secretary and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Crushed claims
Fox then falsely claimed that "@CocaCola announces it's switching from artificial flavoring to real cane sugar—earning the president’s praise as the popular drink gets a classic makeover."