For a brand that is perhaps more synonymous with American culture than any other, Diet Coke is devoid of pretty much anything. With zero calories and 46 milligrams of caffeine, the soda is much as it's advertised, "Just For the Taste of It." And yet it's the favorite of some of the country's most recognizable figures, from supermodels to top executives to even the president himself.For all the ink that was spilled about Donald Trump's first term, few stories were as intriguing to the public back then than the revelation that the new president had installed a red button on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office that summoned staff to bring him cans of Diet Coke on demand, satiating his reported habit of drinking up to 12 cans a day. The soda button was reinstalled last month on the day of Trump's second inauguration — one of the first things he did — and to commemorate Trump's return to the White House, James Quincey, chief executive and chair of Coca-Cola Company, presented the president with a special customized bottle of his favorite sugar-free soda.Trump isn't the only figure in the new administration who count themselves in the cult of Diet Coke. Elon Musk, the world's richest person and among Trump's closest political allies, has posted photos of the diet soda cans (both regular and caffeine-free) strewn across his nightstand with captions like, "I have a drinking problem."But Coca-Cola's sugar-free and low-calorie spin on its flagship product was not always associated with powerful, hard-charging men. The beverage giant has marketed Diet Coke mainly to women since it was first released in 1982.A famous 1995 ad depicted female office workers all running to the window for a "Diet Coke Break," whereby a rakish construction worker took off his shirt after a sweaty morning's work to sip an ice-cold can of Diet Coke.When Bridget Jones's Diary came out in the early 2000s, Diet Coke partnered with the film and used single women in their 30s in an affiliated ad campaign. In the 2010s, pop star Taylor Swift signed a deal to sponsor Diet Coke. This decade, Coca-Cola appointed the iconic supermodel and longtime "it girl" Kate Moss — she of the infamous personal motto "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" — as creative director of the brand."Brands evolve over time—just look at Netflix, or Dunkin', or Levi's jeans. And it certainly seems like Diet Coke has gone from being the brand of Taylor Swift and Kate Moss to the choice of the hard-charging, tech-savvy MAGA Generation," James Haggerty, public relations specialist and president of PRCG Haggerty, told Newsweek.Diet Coke's seemingly overnight transition from "girl drink" to symbol of masculinity is part of a larger trend that Andrea Hernandez, author of the popular food and beverage newsletter Snaxshot, calls "cocaine induced opulence", which prizes productivity, stimulant use and an intense office culture favored by people like Musk."The pendulum has swung back hard, the era of enlightment is over—stimmys over demons all the way," Hernandez declared in December.Living on the edgeShared nickname aside, Diet Coke and this new trend both sell "stylish excess" to the American consumer, while tapping into the yearning for nostalgia among Gen Z—this time romanticizing the aesthetics of 1980s Wall Street, which was visually characterized by the revitalization of Art Deco architecture, culturally characterized by films like American Psycho and economically characterized by free-market policies like Reagonomics that were born in the 80s."For some reason, Diet Coke still gives 'yuppy 80s office worker' vibes," Hernandez told Newsweek in a Monday interview.Back in December, when Hernandez first coined the "cocaine induced opulence" term, she said it was "no surprise" that Trump's return to power would inspire the movement given that the president himself was once the quintessential "young urban professional."In 1984, which Newsweek declared to be the "Year of the Yuppie" in its year-end issue, Trump was solidifying his rise to fame, having just acquired his first venture outside of real estate while rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jackie Kennedy at social events. It was only three years later, he would publish his famous book, "The Art of the Deal."The celebrity-businessman-turned-president has, for decades, embodied the era's "Greed Is Good" mindset, justifying the shattering of norms in pursuit of success and economic gain. That mentality is emblematic of what the Diet Coke brand is offering consumers, Hernandez said.Then, in 2023, a World Health Organization agency classified aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in many diet sodas, as "possibly carcinogenic to humans". But that warning has done little to disabuse Diet Coke lovers looking for their afternoon caffeine fix."It's sort of playing with danger," Hernandez said. "Like, 'Yeah, aspartame kills me, but who cares? It gives me caffeine, it's not going to kill me with sugar.' The aspartame might kill you, but it's like why Zyn is more popular as opposed to cigarettes."She added that it's not just the taste, but the association with productivity, thanks to the heavy dose of caffeine, that makes Diet Coke "the OG functional energy drink."Trump leads the cola comebackDiet Coke's resurgence also comes amid a broader pendulum swing in the popular culture.In the same way that supporting Trump became "cool" to many younger voters this past election cycle, embracing the zero-calorie version of America's favorite soft drink has become something of a countercultural way to push back against the health and wellness trends that have become so dominant over the past decade."There was this whole anti-soda movement" that has triggered a "You can't tell me what I can and cannot drink" backlash, Hernandez said. "Big Soda has been making a real big comeback. Anything that was demonized, like food and sugar, we're starting to see again.""Drinking Diet Coke is kind of a status symbol," she said. "It says that you're cool, you're going against the mainstream narrative, which is something that is very Trumpian, very of the moment."Trump's Coke habit goes back years, immortalized in some of his early tweets that have gone on to become their own catchphrases in the American lexicon.Even Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Trump's new health and human services secretary, has acknowledged the president's soda habit, drawing a line at banning sodas despite his promise to "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA)."I don't want to take food away from anybody. If you like a McDonald's cheeseburger and a Diet Coke—which my boss loves—you should be able to get them. If you want to Hostess' Twinkies, you should be able to do that," Kennedy said at his confirmation hearing last month. "But you should know what the impacts are on your family and your health."Marion Nestle, a nutrition, food studies and public health professor at New York University, told Newsweek that it "looks like Coca-Cola is trying to position Diet Coke as part of the MAHA movement.""Diet Coke has always been marketed to dieters and more recently to people who are trying even harder to reduce their sugar intake," Nestle said.But with the popularity of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, more Americans are avoiding sugar, snacks and ultra-processed foods altogether. That might put Diet Coke in a bind, even if it's receiving unofficial endorsements from the president."Artificial sweeteners are a marker of ultra-processed foods. These induce people to consume more calories—the opposite of what MAHA seems to want," Nestle said.Haggerty added that, "Ozempic and other weight-loss treatments are replacing Diet Coke as the 'drug-of-choice' amongst the thin young woman set."What's more American than Coca-Cola?Invented by an Atlanta pharmacist in the 1880s, the classic Coca-Cola recipe has become a symbol of American soft power around the world. Coke's extensive global marketing has strongly linked the brand to U.S. culture and lifestyle in the country, with 94 percent of the world's population recognizing the iconic Coke logo, according to Statista."It feels like it's my patriotic duty to be indulging in this, even though it's bad [for me]," Hernandez said.Coca-Cola does not break out sales of Diet Coke, making it difficult to establish whether the soda is selling more units than ever. But judging by social media, Diet Coke — which one soda-swilling Newsweek editor affectionately termed "the elixir of the gods" — has benefited from the rare feat of being beloved across demographics. After all, which other product is consumed by alpha males like Trump and Musk as well as Gen Z and Millennial women, who routinely post videos to TikTok touting their "DC breaks"?Tinx, an influencer with more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok, drew in followers with her videos ranking Diet Cokes. Natalia Hauskris, another influencer with over 500,000 followers on the app, built a brand as the "Diet Coke girl" and posts homemade recipes for drinks like the "marinated Diet Coke" and Diet Coke chilled with Diet Coke ice cubes.If there's one thing more American than Coca-Cola, it's monetizing your Coca-Cola habit.