RFK Jr shows he ain’t afraid of germs by announcing he snorted cocaine off of toilet seats

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed during a recent appearance on Theo Von’s podcast that he once snorted cocaine off a toilet seat. He was attempting to demonstrate his complete lack of fear regarding germs, but I feel like there may have been better ways to do that. 

The Hill reported that Kennedy was a guest on This Past Weekend when he shared the shocking anecdote. He was reflecting on his commitment to attending in-person drug addiction recovery meetings, even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he and Von had previously met in the Los Angeles area. He tied his dedication directly to his health philosophy, adding, “I’m not scared of a germ, you know. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.”

For Kennedy, attending these meetings isn’t optional; it’s a matter of survival. He stated that the disease will kill him if he doesn’t treat it, and for him, treatment means going to meetings daily. He called it “heartbreaking” when many recovery programs attempted to pivot to virtual meetings instead of maintaining in-person attendance.

So many red flags from the man who is the Health Secretary of the United States

Now, don’t get me wrong, I respect that he has maintained sobriety for 40 years. Kennedy has been incredibly open about his past struggles with drug use, detailing how his addiction began in the years following the assassination of his father, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. RFK faced two arrests for drug possession during his struggles, with the second arrest serving as the catalyst that pushed him to commit fully to sobriety. 

The problem isn’t his past drug use; it’s that this anecdote serves as another example of how dangerous his views are. Kennedy doesn’t see the value of a key pandemic-prevention measure. Then again, we already know that he thinks the COVID vaccine was more dangerous than the disease. Thanks to the ongoing measles epidemic, Kennedy’s leadership is already under intense scrutiny, concerning public health measures and vaccination.

In true form, his new anecdote immediately garnered serious pushback from the health community. Brad Woodhouse, the president of the health care advocacy group Protect Our Care, issued a pointed, one-word statement about Kennedy’s comments: “Resign.” Protect Our Care, the same organization that called for his resignation, had previously projected pointed messages, like “MEASLES HQ.” onto the HHS building in Washington, D.C., last month.

Amid this controversy, health officials are doubling down on the need for vaccination. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz recently urged Americans to get vaccinated against the disease. “Take the vaccine, please,” Oz said. “We have a solution for our problem. Not all illnesses are equally dangerous, and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses. But measles is one [where] you should get your vaccine.”