US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has revealed that President Donald Trump regularly has large quantities of McDonald’s fast food on his private plane, despite the administration’s push to promote healthier eating habits across the United States.
Kennedy made the disclosure during an appearance on the Net Positive with John Crist podcast, where he was asked whether he had ever advised Trump to cut down on junk food.
“When you get on his airplane, it’s just boxes and boxes of McDonald’s,” Kennedy said.
Trump’s preference for the fast-food chain has been widely documented. Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters previously disclosed that the president’s typical McDonald’s order could include fries, a Filet-O-Fish, a Quarter Pounder and a Big Mac.
Trump has also publicly embraced the restaurant brand. During his 2024 presidential campaign, he visited a McDonald’s outlet in Pennsylvania and worked behind the counter as part of a campaign event.
Kennedy himself was previously photographed aboard Trump’s private plane surrounded by McDonald’s meals alongside Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Donald Trump Jr. The photograph was shared by Trump Jr. in November 2024 with a reference to the incoming administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
The revelation comes as Kennedy leads the administration’s Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, initiative, which has placed greater emphasis on reducing Americans’ consumption of ultra-processed foods.
The Department of Health and Human Services has recently pursued food-policy changes, including efforts to improve transparency around substances added to food and the development of a federal definition for ultra-processed foods.
Kennedy has previously been openly critical of Trump’s eating habits. In a 2024 interview, he described the food served on Trump’s plane as extremely unhealthy and complained that passengers were often offered meals such as KFC or Big Macs.
Asked whether he would privately caution Trump about his diet, Kennedy said he was “not a scold,” suggesting that he was reluctant to lecture the president about his food choices.
According to Kennedy, nearly 60 per cent of the American diet consists of ultra-processed foods, while childhood obesity affects more than one in five American children.
He has argued that tackling America’s chronic disease crisis will require significant changes to the country’s food system.
