The viral photo featured a notable gathering of Trump’s inner circle aboard his Boeing 757 aircraft.
Trump and RFK Jr alongside Trump Jr, Elon Musk and Mike Johnson all tucking into a McDonald’s en route to New York City
Donald Trump Jr
Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr were seated at the table alongside RFK Jr, all with McDonald’s meals in front of them.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, managed to slip into the picture whilst standing behind Trump Jr and Kennedy.
The group was en route to MSG, where Trump received what was described as a “hero’s welcome” at the UFC event.
Kennedy had been particularly vocal about Trump’s eating habits prior to the photo.
“Campaign food is always bad, but the food that goes onto that airplane 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,” Kennedy added.
He had also specifically criticised Trump’s diet, stating “the stuff that he eats is really, like, bad.”
During his campaign, Kennedy had been particularly critical of McDonald’s food preparation methods.
Appearing on Fox News in October, he argued that McDonald’s French fries should be cooked in tallow fat rather than seed oils.
He called seed oils “one of the most unhealthy ingredients that we have in foods,” linking them to “body-wide inflammation.”
Trump received a ‘hero’s welcome’ at the UFC event at MSG
Despite these criticisms, Kennedy had maintained that he didn’t want to ban fast food, acknowledging it as “part of American culture.”
His campaign message “Make America Healthy Again” focused on reforming public health policies and addressing what he called an “overwhelming health crisis.”
Donald Trump Jr. playfully addressed the apparent contradiction on social media, writing: “Make America Healthy Again starts TOMORROW.”
The photo sparked debate on social media platform X, with some critics pointing out perceived hypocrisy.
“RFK Jr. said on Fox & Friends that he didn’t have a problem with fast food or McDonald’s he was just against ‘seed oil.’ McDonald’s cooks its fries in seed oil. He is also drinking a Coke with high fructose corn syrup. This man is a complete fraud,” wrote journalist Juliet Jeske.
