Robert F Kennedy Jr was pictured eating McDonald’s on Donald Trump’s private plane as they made their way to watch the UFC in New York on Saturday night.
RFK Jr, who Mr Trump has tapped as America’s next health secretary, struck an awkward pose as he sat with his McDonald’s burger, fries and Coca Cola – the president-elect’s favourite meal.
He was joined by Elon Musk as Mr Trump was given a hero’s welcome during his first appearance at the UFC since winning the election earlier this month.
RFK Jr was highly critical of the modern diet during the election campaign, vowing to ‘Make America Healthy Again’, and even described Mr Trump’s diet as “really bad”.
“Campaign food is always bad, but the food that goes onto [Trump Force One] is, like, just poison,” the 70-year-old told podcaster Joe Polish on Monday.
“You have a choice between – you don’t have the choice, you’re either given KFC or Big Macs. That’s when you’re lucky, and then the rest of the stuff I consider kind of inedible.”
Reaction flooded in on social media, with several users pointing out the irony of RFK Jr posing with a McDonald’s – including Mr Trump’s own son.
Donald Trump Jr joked: “Make America Healthy Again starts TOMORROW.”
One user added: “RFK’s initiation into the group is to eat every single thing on McDonald’s menu.”
Another user suggested it may have been a power move by Mr Trump after Mr Kennedy criticised his diet.
“Making RFK Jr be photographed eating McDonalds is a pretty power move not gonna lie,” the social media user said.
Dan Scavino Jr.
RFK Jr was particularly critical of McDonald’s during the election campaign.
After Mr Trump made an iconic appearance at McDonald’s during the campaign last month, RFK Jr said the fast food chain should be cooked in beef fat rather than seed oils.
“That was good for you. Your body needs that, it makes you healthy,” Mr Kennedy said on Fox News. “Why aren’t we making it with tallow fat again?”
But he denied wanting to ban fast food, saying it is “part of American culture”.
Mr Trump’s triumphant return to Madison Square Garden, where he held one of his last rallies of the election campaign, was met with scenes of jubilation by fans and fighters alike.
Mr Trump was led through the arena by Dana White, the UFC’s president, and was followed by Mr Musk, Ms Gabbard, and RFK Jr – all of whom have been nominated to serve in the Republican’s cabinet.
Jon Jones, widely considered to be the greatest UFC fighter of all time, paid tribute to the president-elect seconds after retaining his champion status by performing the Republican’s trademark dance and handing Mr Trump his heavyweight belt.
Jones also thanked Mr Trump during his victory interview with Joe Rogan before launching a “USA” chant, which was met with cheers and applause in the crowd.
“I’m proud to be a great American champion. I’m proud to be a Christian American champion,” Jones said in his victory speech.
Joe Rogan, the UFC commentator who endorsed Mr Trump during the election, said as he made his way through the arena: “I wish the people at home could hear the sound in this room… it is so loud in here.”
“It is always loud when he comes here but now that he’s won, now that he’s the president again… oh my God,” Mr Rogan continued.
Mr Rogan had previously been critical of Mr Trump, instead expressing his support for RFK Jr during one of his podcast episodes.
Dan Scavino Jr.
“I love that guy. I love what he’s trying to do with health,” Mr Rogan explained. “This is an issue that we all face and we’re all being poisoned and they’re profiting off of it and we’re not doing s— about it.
Mr Rogan went on to endorse Mr Trump after RFK Jr dropped out of the race and joined Mr Trump’s campaign.
In Mr Trump’s first speech after winning the election, he said RFK Jr would “help make America healthy again” and would protect Americans from “harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products and food additives”.
A central theme of RFK Jr’s message is the use of pesticides and fertilisers in farming.
“Pesticides, food additives, pharmaceutical drugs and toxic waste permeate every cell in our bodies,” he said at an American Health Crisis Roundtable in September.
“This assault on our children’s cells and hormones is unrelenting. They are swimming around in a toxic soup… we are mass poisoning all of our children and all of our adults.”
RFK Jr’s approach to public health is highly controversial.
Chrstine Byrne, a dietitian at Ruby Oak Nutrition told Newsweek his statements were a “massive misrepresentation and oversimplification of science”.
“Saying that children are swimming around in a ‘toxic soup’ is vague, scary and just not true.”
RFK Jr has also been highly critical of vaccines, though said they were “not going to be taken away from anybody”.
He previously stated in an interview with Fox News that “autism comes from vaccines”, a widely discredited theory.
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel
