Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was ridiculed for promoting Steak 'n Shake during a Fox News segment on Monday.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services and Fox News broadcaster Sean Hannity sat down for burgers and fries while discussing the "Make America Healthy Again" initiative. RFK Jr. commended the Steak 'n Shake fast food chain for replacing vegetable oil with beef tallow.
Kennedy has promoted beef tallow as a healthier alternative to seed oils. But while beef tallow does offer some health benefits, including rich quantities of vitamins A, D, E, and K, health experts have noted that beef tallow also contains a high saturated fat content, according to a November article by the health magazine Prevention.
"People are raving about these french fries," RFK Jr. stated.
Kennedy went on to explain french fries in the U.S. were better than in Europe when he was a kid, but, as he got older, he traveled to Belgian and France for good fries because they did not taste right anymore.
"You taste these. It's a completely different experience, and the customers are raving about it," the health secretary noted. He also thanked other chains, including Popeyes, for "RFKing" their french fries by using beef tallow.
Social media users were shocked to see RFK Jr. seemingly promoting the fast food chains under the pretense of a news segment.
"This is an amazing video," Richard Hanania, a right-wing commentator, wrote in an X post accompanied by a clip from the interview. "The HHS Secretary is apparently doing an ad for Steak 'n Shake while pretending to do a news interview, with the video being promoted by influencers who are surely also getting paid."
"What a disgusting grift. Top to bottom, this whole thing is rotten," Hanania added.
This is an amazing video. The HHS Secretary is apparently doing an ad for Steak ’n Shake while pretending to do a news interview, with the video being promoted by influencers who are surely also getting paid.
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) March 11, 2025
What a disgusting grift. Top to bottom, this whole thing is rotten. pic.twitter.com/IsHBqIX1QB
Other users not only agreed, but doubled down on Hanania's assertion.
"When you put it that way wow yes this is actually really gross," one X user commented.
When you put it that way wow yes this is actually really gross
— cupcake (@cupcakecommons) March 11, 2025
"Wow. Grifters one and all," another added.
Wow. Grifters one and all
— 𓂀 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𓂀 (@marysupoppinz) March 11, 2025
President Donald Trump himself was previously labeled a "grifter," or someone who swindles people out of money, by critics. He was lambasted for launching a meme coin the weekend of his inauguration. First Lady Melania Trump followed suit, debuting her own cryptocurrency days later.
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