The New York Times has issued a baffling fact check on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claim that America's favorite breakfast cereal contains several artificial ingredients.
The former Democratic Party-turned-independent presidential candidate endorsed President-elect Donald Trump after canceling his 2024 campaign in August. On Thursday, President Trump announced that he has nominated Kennedy to lead the next administration's Department of Health and Human Services.
President Kennedy pledged to address chronic health problems facing Americans and confront “corruption” within the Food and Drug Administration to “make America healthy again.”
In an interview on MSNBC after President Trump's victory earlier this month, President Kennedy suggested that a second Trump administration might eliminate entire departments within the FDA, saying, “In some categories, the FDA's nutrition division will… etc., the entire department must be abolished.'' They don't protect our children. Why are there 18 or 19 types of Froot Loops in this country, but when you go to Canada you only find 2 or 3 types? ”
President-elect Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be HHS Secretary. (Getty Images)
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new york times on Friday released a report analyzing President Kennedy's views on artificial food ingredients, specifically fact-checking candidate Trump's claims that different ingredients are used in Fruit Loops' U.S. and Canadian products.
“Kennedy cited Froot Loops as an example of a product with too many artificial ingredients and questioned why the Canadian version had fewer ingredients than the U.S. version,” the Times report said. “But he was wrong. Although the ingredient list is nearly the same, the Canadian product contains natural coloring made from blueberries and carrots, while the U.S. product contains red dye 40, yellow Contains 5 dyes, 1 blue dye, and laboratory-produced butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a chemical used “to preserve freshness,” according to the ingredients label. ”
Critics derided the paper, which seemed to prove rather than disprove Kennedy's point that the U.S. version of cereal contained artificial ingredients.
Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shake hands during a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena on Friday, August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. ((AP Photo/Evan Vucci))
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“I spit out my coffee after reading this NYT RFK Jr. 'fact check,'” wrote X user Brad Cohn. Posts that received over 4 million views on social media platforms.
He added derisively: “As you can see, the ingredient list is exactly the same, except that the U.S. product contains formaldehyde, cyanide, and nearly undetectable levels of saxitoxin.”
“Read this 'fact check' on the NYT's @RobertFKennedyJr and tell me with a straight face that we don't need fundamental changes in our media and health institutions,” said REACH Digital CEO Jason Howerton. Posted on X.
“This passes the New York Times' 'fact check.'” Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA I wrote to X. “The media often lies, but fortunately for us, they are also very stupid.”
“This has to be the stupidest 'fact check' about RFK Jr. by the New York Times…Who approved this?” Podcaster Jay Anderson Posted on X.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. waves to the crowd at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on Friday, August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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The New York Times did not respond to requests for comment.
Kennedy's nomination was followed by a series of media reports in which Democrats and medical experts warned that Kennedy was a threat to public health and that his vaccine skepticism would “cost us lives.” It was spurred on.
FOX News' Lindsey Cornick contributed to this report.
