Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Isabel Keane

Shirtless RFK Jr gives the smackdown to a Twinkie in a bizarre AI video

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared a bizarre AI-generated video of himself shirtless and wrestling a Twinkie — as the Health and Human Services Secretary continues to push his “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

Trump administration officials have a penchant for sharing AI-generated videos to further their agenda, and Kennedy is no exception, posting the video, captioned “MAHAMania: Snack Down,” set to Limp Bizkit’s song “Rollin’,” on X on Sunday.

In the clip, the AI-generated Kennedy is shirtless and wrestling a man in a Twinkie costume who is holding a sign that reads: “I [heart] Junk Food.”

The health secretary repeatedly kicks and slams the Twinkie to the ground before he is declared the victor, with the words “Eat Real Food” playing over the screen.

Kennedy has ramped up his efforts to spread the so-called MAHA movement through a variety of other truly peculiar behaviors, including working out in jeans and sharing footage of him working out alongside musician Kid Rock.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared a bizarre AI-generated video of himself beating up a Twinkie (Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr./X)
The AI video shows Kennedy kicking and slamming the Twinkie to the ground (Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr./X)

Since taking office, Kennedy has also waged an aggressive campaign against ultra-processed foods, which he says are poisoning Americans.

However, during his confirmation hearing, Kennedy told lawmakers he wouldn’t be coming after anyone’s Big Macs or Twinkies in the role — he just wants Americans to be aware of what they’re eating.

“We need to ... deploy NIH and FDA to doing the research to understand the relationship between these different food additives and chronic disease, so that Americans understand it and make sure that Americans are aware,” he said at the time. “But I don't want to take food away from anybody. If you like ... a McDonald's cheeseburger, Diet Coke, which my boss loves, you should be able to get them.”

“If you want to eat Hostess Twinkies, you should be able to do that, but you should know what the impacts are on your family and on your health,” he added.

Kennedy’s leadership of the Department of Health and Human Service has not been without controversy with some questioning the science behind some decisions (Getty Images)

While Kennedy has seemingly taken a focus on Americans’ nutrition, other aspects of public health have seemingly fallen by the wayside.

As of March 2026, measles has been reported in 31 states across the country, including a massive outbreak in South Carolina, where over 1,000 cases were reported, mostly amongst unvaccinated children. It is the largest outbreak since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared measles eradicated more than 25 years ago.

As fewer kids get vaccines, Trump administration officials, including vaccine-skeptic Kennedy, have questioned and sown doubt about the safety of established vaccines.

Despite his skepticism, Kennedy has endorsed children getting vaccinated with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, even though he had previously made “misleading” claims about the vaccine’s effectiveness, according to non-profit FactCheck.org.

Now Kennedy has released a new video taking on junk food. He captioned the AI-generated footage ‘MAHAMania: Snack Down’ (Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr./X)
The video showed a fake Kennedy showing off plenty of his WWE moves against the popular snack (Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy/X)

Kennedy also said last April that he would be testing unproven treatments for measles, including cod liver oil.

“Good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses,” he said.

Kennedy praised the work of a doctor who had been known for discussing the danger of vaccines. In May, the secretary even claimed that the vaccine was made with “aborted fetus debris.”

The inaccurate and misleading statements about the vaccines, including a false link to autism, spread at the height of a deadly measles outbreak last August, according to a KFF Health poll.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.