The 20-Year History Of Presidential Coke Bottles

Unless you're one of those people with commemorative plates lining your walls and presidential coins lining your pockets, you've probably never heard of "presidential Coke bottles," but they are, in fact, a thing. The legendary soda company started the tradition with the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, and continues with it to this day. A Coca-Cola Company spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "The Coca-Cola Company has a tradition of creating commemorative Coca-Cola bottles in celebration of U.S. presidential inaugurations, dating back to 2005."

If you're wondering what a commemorative Coca-Cola bottle is, it's a lot like a regular bottle of Coke, but dressed to impress for the White House. For example, President-Elect Donald Trump's commemorative bottle of Diet Coke, the first ever Diet Coke bottle presented to a president in this manner, came in a bright red box, with a note about the brand's economic contributions and pride. The company ended the note with a statement that said, "We're proud to continue our decades-long tradition of celebrating the U.S. presidential inauguration with a commemorative [bottle of Coca-Cola]."

Gifted to Trump by the CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, James Quincey, the bottle of Diet Coke and its accompanying note present a stark difference in tone from the brand's previous statement. As some may recall, the brand expressed disgust in the events of January 6, 2021, which saw a mob of Trump supporters who were upset that he lost the election staging an attack on The Capitol.

Before Coca-Cola gifted its Diet Coke to Trump ahead of his inauguration on January 20, it did the same with Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013, and with Joe Biden in 2021. However, when it came to these bottles, Obama and Biden were presented with regular Cokes.

If you're hoping to get your hands on one of these presidential Coke bottles, it might be tough; the company only released a limited quantity to the White House which will not be for sale through Coca-Cola. So your best bet is to hope that some enterprising, unsentimental individual tries to hawk the bottle online — as they've done with Obama's bottles in the past. Or, if you're not attached to the idea of a presidential Coke bottle, Coca-Cola sells nearly 30 themed commemorative Coke bottles on its website.