Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has given social media users a serious case of the ick. The U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary threw caution to the wind as he and family members frolicked in the polluted water of Rock Creek in Washington, D.C.
“Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,” he tweeted along with four images, one of which showed him submerged in the water of the creek that serves as a sewage overflow channel during rainstorms in Washington.
In two of the other photos, the kids joined Kennedy for the splash and play break. According to the National Park Service, swimming and wading are prohibited for the well-being of visitors as well as for the natural wildlife and plants.
The site warns in an advisory from October 2022, “Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health.”
An X user sarcastically remarked, “That infection yall finna catch gon go crazy.” A community note disclosing the contamination warnings was soon attached to Kennedy’s tweet. More people unleashed criticism on Instagram, where “gross,” “ewwww,” and “just dirty” were shared sentiments from those turning their noses up at Donald Trump supporter.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is ending his Presidential campaign to endorse Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/GW6v7uniS3
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 23, 2024
“Yall know this isn’t his first time right,” wrote another observer. “I don’t go near, anything not clear,” someone else quipped about their not-foolproof precautionary parctive. A third reaction read, “Sooo yall have access to swim anywhere in the world and yall chose a creek… Riiiight.”
A fourth commenter could not resist the opportunity to aim for Kennedy’s diagnosis of spasmodic dysphonia. That individual wrote, “I’m sorry. Isn’t his voice impaired bc of a neurological issue? He just likes to take chances huh?” The condition causes strain and spasms of the larynx, causing a person’s voice to be distorted.
Kennedy had been a controversial figure for years prior to Trump selecting him as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services in November 2024. He accepted the role several weeks after suspending his presidential campaign an an independent candidate.
