Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is under fire after posting an edited image that turned a casual McDonald’s meal on Air Force One into what appeared to be a formal Thanksgiving dinner with Donald Trump, Elon Musk and others.
On Thursday, Nov. 27, the 71-year-old secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services shared the altered photo on X with a simple holiday message: “Happy Thanksgiving!”
The original image was taken in 2024 after Trump, now 79, won the presidential election. In that version, Kennedy, Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and House Speaker Mike Johnson are seen eating McDonald’s food aboard Air Force One.
In the version Kennedy posted this Thanksgiving, the fast-food spread had been digitally replaced with an elaborate holiday meal, complete with turkey, brussels sprouts, corn, mashed potatoes, cranberries and other traditional dishes.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(767x0:769x2):format(webp)/_Donald-Trump-Jr-mcdonalds-112825--72d10fb739cb4238a285a623bcfc46a5.jpg)
Online critics quickly pounced, accusing Kennedy of misrepresentation — and pointing out the tension between the edited photo and his role in the “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)” initiative.
“As fake as your medical knowledge,” one X user wrote. Another commented, “So bizarre … Why do you live a lie?”
A third critic added, “Try a real picture next time, not one generated with software. This makes it easy to understand why people question what is real. Who can ya trust?”
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Kennedy was pressed on how his own habits — including regular use of tanning beds and nicotine, both widely viewed as significant health risks — square with his public health messaging and the MAHA platform.
“I’m not telling people that they should do anything that I do,” said Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy. “I just say, ‘Get in shape.’”
The Atlantic piece also noted that Kennedy “regularly pulls Zyn nicotine pouches from his shirt pocket or desk drawers to tuck between his lower lip and gum,” further fueling debate about the consistency between his personal choices and his health-focused public agenda.
