Trump Is Much More Superstitious Than We Ever Knew

In the words of the great Stevie Wonder, "When you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer. Superstition ain't the way." However, given that Wonder is among the musicians who can't stand Donald Trump (he supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election), maybe Trump doesn't listen to Wonder much these days — "The Apprentice" star is very superstitious, after all.

Trump also believes in things he doesn't understand that could result in suffering, including the effect exercise has on the human body. In 2017, The New Yorker reported that he avoids physical activity (other than cheating at golf, according to some who have played against Trump) because he views the body as a battery that loses its juice when in use. And speaking of his questionable health habits, it's no secret that Trump is a huge McDonald's fan; he even manned one of the fast-food chain's fryers in 2024. That's when he revealed his belief in an old-school superstition by tossing salt over his shoulder after spilling it. "I'm very superstitious," he confessed to an employee (via Sky News). It was once thought that spilled salt was the devil's fault and that throwing some in his eye would make him go away (maybe Lucifer was hanging around Trump because he loves those Mickey D's fries just as much as the POTUS does).

After Stormy Daniels spilled about her affair with Trump, Seth Rogen appeared in the "Stormy" documentary and recalled a conversation he had with her about another of the tycoon's bizarre beliefs. "He, like, felt as though his power, like, rested in his hair, and that if he lost it, he would lose his, like, power and his stature," Rogen said (via Mediaite). Then there's the Trump superstition that should give Americans pause.

In their book "Let Trump Be Trump: The Inside Story of His Rise to the Presidency," Donald Trump's former campaign officials Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie reveal that they witnessed Trump doing the salt-throwing thing during meals. They also write that he avoided preparing for the presidency during his 2016 campaign because of potential "bad juju," further adding, "It's the reason that come election night we didn't have a victory speech — or a concession speech — written ahead of time." However, failing to prepare for every eventuality (or any eventuality at all) isn't really a great trait for a world leader to possess.

Trump also blamed his superstitious nature for his decision to enact tariffs on April 2 instead of one day earlier. "I didn't want to be accused of April Fools' Day," he explained during his joint address to Congress. "I'm a very superstitious person." In response to the decision, "The Daily Show" correspondent Michael Kosta snarked, "Otherwise, we would all be like, 'What? Is this a joke?' As opposed to every other day when that isn't our reaction to the stuff he does."

On the American Psychological Association podcast "Speaking of Psychology," Stuart Vyse, PhD, explained why some people become superstitious. "People ... who feel they're low in their ability to control events are more likely to be superstitious in an effort to gain more control," he said. Even as president, Trump has discovered that there's a lot he can't control, from the actions of other world leaders to his hair, which tried to take flight on "Liberation Day" while he was celebrating his grand tariff plan. In other words, there's probably a lot of salt being flung around the Oval Office.