Inside George H.W. Bush’s Savage Air Force One Prank, Which Solidified His Place as Broccoli’s Enemy No. 1

President George H. W. Bush is best remembered for his foreign policy — guiding the United States through the end of the Cold War and leading the first Gulf War — but at home, he had a different kind of fight: his war against broccoli.

Bush’s dislike for the vegetable reportedly started on Air Force One, when a flight attendant served him some green florets.

“He sits back, he looks at the steward and he says, ‘You know, I’ve hated broccoli ever since I was a little boy. My mother made me eat broccoli, and now that I’m president of the United States, I’m not going to eat broccoli anymore,’” presidential journalist Kenneth Walsh recalled in the 2019 documentary The Secret History of Air Force One.

After that, Bush declared he didn’t want to see, smell, or be near broccoli. “So,” Walsh explained, “they banned broccoli from Air Force One.”

Not everyone knew about Bush’s dislike, though. When broccoli showed up on the plane’s menu again, the president played a little joke to remind staff of his preference.

“One day, we were an hour out and the president’s doctor came up to me, extremely seriously, and said, ‘Howie, was there broccoli in that lasagna for lunch?’” Bush’s chief flight attendant, Howie Franklin, recalled.

“I said, ‘Yes sir, there was,’ and he said, ‘Well, you know, the president’s allergic to broccoli,’” Franklin added.

Franklin went to find the president, who was pretending to feel unwell while Secret Service agents helped him.

“My pager went off, and my deputy said, ‘Chief, the pilot needs to see you in the pilot’s office,’” Franklin said. When he arrived, he realized it was all a prank: the crew, the president, and the doctor were all in on it.

Franklin told WWAY TV in 2018 that while the crew learned to be careful with vegetable choices, Bush always got excited for pig skins, Baby Ruth bars, Klondike bars, and butter pecan ice cream.

Bush’s dislike for broccoli became a running joke during his presidency, and he often mentioned it in speeches. Smart Politics reported that he mentioned broccoli 70 times while in office — compared to his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, who mentioned it only once in twice the time.

While campaigning for Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Bill Price in 1990, Bush said he supported the Republican with one condition: “If they send me that bill to make these kids eat their broccoli, I will veto that legislation.”

Two years later, at a prayer breakfast in Houston, Bush joked, “I figure it’s the one meal where broccoli is never served.”

Bush was asked if he worried about losing support from farmers because of his broccoli stance. He responded, “For the broccoli vote out there, [my wife] Barbara loves broccoli. She’s tried to make me eat it. She eats it all the time herself. So, she can go out and meet the caravan of broccoli that’s coming in [from Washington].”

First lady Barbara Bush welcomed a delegation from the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association on the White House lawn in March 1990. They brought 10 tons of broccoli, which the president later donated to local food banks. The group even gave Barbara a bouquet made of the vegetable.

“Millie and I thank you for the broccoli. We’ll eat it,” Barbara said, referring to their dog. But for her husband, she added, “If his own blessed mother can’t make him eat broccoli, I give up.”

As his term ended, Bush’s opponents also joked about his broccoli aversion during the 1992 election. While campaigning, Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore visited a farmer’s market in Pennsylvania with a sign that read, “Let’s put broccoli in the White House again.”

Even at his funeral, the jokes continued. His son, 43rd President George W. Bush, delivered a eulogy on Dec. 5, 2018. While honoring his father, he also teased him:

“To us he was close to perfect, but not totally,” he said. “His short game was lousy. He wasn’t exactly Fred Astaire on the dance floor. The man couldn’t stomach vegetables, especially broccoli. And by the way, he passed these genetic defects along to us.”