Parodies and altered images misrepresent RFK Jr online

RFK Jr's nomination for a top health role under Trump has sparked a flurry of misinformation online. (AP PHOTO)

What was claimed

Robert F Kennedy Jr posted a picture of himself with a dish of raw meat and milk.

Our verdict

False. The image has been altered and the post does not appear on Kennedy’s timeline.

AAP FACTCHECK - A swarm of fake posts and misattributed satire has followed the nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr to a top health position in incoming US president Donald Trump’s administration.

Posts implying Mr Kennedy eats raw food and is about to ban unhealthy products such as Diet Coke and chocolate have not come from the man himself, as is being suggested.

Many of the posts originate from satirical accounts impersonating Mr Kennedy but have been passed off as posts from his real personal account.

Screenshot of a fake tweet being shared on social media.
The X post being shared here does not appear on Robert F Kennedy Jr's real account.

One X post shared on Facebook, showing what appears to be a dish of raw meat, has been altered to look like it came from Mr Kennedy’s X account.

The caption reads: “Raw meat, raw yolks, raw cheese, raw milk, raw Royal jelly and some raw milk.”

The original X post comes from an unrelated user and the post does not appear on Mr Kennedy’s timeline.

Tins of Diet Coke.
Mr Kennedy has not announced any plans to ban Diet Coke on social media or elsewhere.

Other satirical posts that have been mistaken or misrepresented as true have suggested that Mr Kennedy has promised to ban popular food and drink products in the US if he is confirmed as the Secretary for Health and Human Services.

The text on one X post shared on Facebook from @RFKJrHealthSec was captioned: “BREAKING: Effective January 20th, I will be BANNING all consumption of Diet Coke in the United States.”

Another post from the same account read: “BREAKING: Effective January 20th, Hershey’s Chocolate will be BANNED in the United States.”

The account, which has since been deleted on X, clearly described itself as a parody account.

Former parody X account @RFKJrHealthSec
This no-longer-active X account was clearly labelled as parody.

A very similar-looking current parody account, with the handle @RFKJRHEALTH, has been active since July 2023.

Mr Kennedy’s genuine X account is @RobertKennedyJr. Neither of the previous promises appear on his personal account and there has been no reporting of these proposed bans.

Another digitally altered post claiming Mr Kennedy had promised to bankrupt several packaged food companies also received thousands of views but is a fake.

The Verdict

False – The claim is inaccurate.

AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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