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A widely shared photo of Donald Trump, his eldest son, and Elon Musk sharing a McDonald’s dinner with Robert Kennedy Jr. who was unenthusiastic about Trump’s private jet was an instant meme, late-night column fodder, and at least one inspiration. a viral hoax. (For the record: The photo was not expected 18th century painting from the artist “Deitz Nuützen.”)
But amidst the lulz, there actually seems to be a message in the tableaux. If there is a contradiction or conflict in the policy goals expressed by Trump and his top advisers—including Kennedy, his choice for head of Health and Human Services—there is no doubt who makes the decisions.
Make America healthy and it starts TOMORROW. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/LLzr5S9ugf
– Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 17, 2024
In this case, there is a disconnect between Kennedy’s disdain for processed food and Trump’s weakness for fast food—not just as a matter of personal preference but as a symbolic connection to the masses. (Kennedy literally referred to the grub selection on Trump’s plane—”KFC or Big Macs”—as “poison” just days before he was photographed with his Combo Meal.) So, in part, the message was an explanation of Kennedy’s agenda of seeking position (also direct). goals and pharmaceutical regulations) can be restrictive.
The difficult hand signal of who is in charge is what made the incident so controversial. “I love that they actually harassed RFK Jr., who is against processed food and has called it fast food poisoning, by not only making him eat McDonald’s but forcing him to take a picture while doing it,” joked Seth Meyers. “Only Donald Trump can force his new health governor to eat McDonald’s,” added Jimmy Kimmel. “That’s what he’s doing, these are power exercises.”
But beyond the alpha-male gustatory posture, there are real questions about how some of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (er, MAHA) ideas fit with Trump’s agenda. While MAGA’s second round seemed to repeat the business vibe of the first, news of Kennedy’s nomination sent a number of major food stocks reeling amid fears of new scrutiny of soft drinks, snacks, and packaged goods. For example, shares of Lamb Weston, one of the world’s largest producers of frozen potato products – which supplies fries to McDonald’s, among others – fell more than 6%.
But Kennedy’s call for tougher regulations on pesticides, additives, and (one of his more controversial characters) seed oil doesn’t sit well with Trumpworld’s distaste for government regulation. Lobbyists and trade groups representing packaged food retailers, agribusinesses, and other links to supermarkets stepped up their activity even before Trump announced he would contact Kennedy, worried about the added costs and potential backlash to consumers. And by and large, the food industry has had a good relationship with previous Republican administrations. (Trump’s first administration balanced pesticide restrictions with other laws.)
During the campaign, Donald Trump suggested he would let Kennedy “go wild” on health issues, a promise as big as it was vague. Kennedy’s big ambition includes questionable and dangerous ideas about vaccines and other things that would undermine his credibility, not to mention his real agenda. As it turns out, one of his more controversial ideas, demonizing seed oils (canola, sunflower) as disease-causing, puts McDonald’s squarely on the mark—and is just the kind of extreme that “could give the industry the ammunition it needs to screw it up,” according to a New York Times report on the mass food industry’s response to Kennedy’s wishes. This week, the CEO of food giant Nestlé played down concerns at an investor event: “It’s still early,” he told Reuters. “What was the campaign rhetoric and what will translate into policy?”
As for McDonald’s—where Trump has been seen eating fries as part of the campaign—the bipartisan favorite doesn’t seem to be rushing to introduce kale or worried about the popularity of its fast-food brands: It just announced the recent return of its boneless but rib-shaped McRib sandwich and is introducing half-gallon jars of Whole Lotta McRib Sauce.
It remains the case that the conflicting agreements that would make a winning campaign possible cannot stand up to the reality of governance. While some of Kennedy’s ideas seem popular with Trump voters, it’s unclear how consumers will react to news that regulators are coming for Froot Loops—let alone their fries. So, as it were, that junk food sent a message not just to Kennedy and the junk food makers, but to Trump supporters: What’s really going to end up on the health reform menu is a work in progress. And that’s true that Kennedy would just need a stomach.
