Trump's Influence On RFK Jr. Is Starting To Show (& Not Just In His Overly Tan Skin)

First, the orange glow, and now the rhetoric — RFK Jr.'s HHS confirmation hearing shows his MAGA transformation is only getting worse. Before the failed presidential candidate got aboard the Trump train, he had a controversial but stable identity as a man passionate about healthy eating and reforming the food industry. He didn't hold back on criticizing major fast-food companies and those who supported them, like Donald Trump. Just two months ago, in November 2024, he made an appearance on "The Joe Polish Show" where he called Trump out for his unhealthy eating habits:

"The stuff that [Donald Trump] eats is really like bad ... The food that goes onto that airplane is like just poison ... You don't have the choice; you're either given KFC or Big Macs." He also added that he considered the food "inedible." But now, RFK Jr. is not only taking fashion advice by copying Donald Trump's botched tan, but is also walking back on the very comments he made about wanting to eliminate unhealthy fast food. During his confirmation hearing for the health secretary position, he said, "I don't want to take food away from anybody. If you like a McDonald's cheeseburger and a Diet Coke, which my boss loves, you should be able to get them."

Beyond the terrible tan and contradictory comments, RFK Jr. is copying something else from Donald Trump: his interview style. Trump has a signature way of handling tough questions — deflect, dodge, and deny. He reframes the conversation, gives vague answers, and often outrightly contradicts past statements. RFK Jr. put those same tactics to work during his congressional hearing. Despite previously claiming that vaccines were unsafe and even petitioning to block the COVID-19 vaccine, RFK Jr. denied those positions under questioning.

"News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I am neither. I am pro-safety" he said in a clip from the confirmation hearing. However, interviewer senator Ron Wyden wasn't buying it and called out the blatant contradiction: "Are you lying to Congress today when you say you're pro-vaccine, or did you lie on all those podcasts?" Like a true Trump disciple, RFK Jr. shifted the blame to the media, claiming his words were taken out of context: "That statement I made on the Lex Fridman podcast was a fragment of a statement."

At this point, RFK Jr. isn't just tweaking his rhetoric — he's actively walking back his positions on vaccines, healthy eating, and even abortion. Meanwhile, Trump clearly isn't ditching up his McDonald's habit anytime soon. If RFK Jr. wants to keep his place in the GOP spotlight, it looks like it's not his principles he'll be standing by — it's Trump's.