Yahoo Lifestyle RFK Jr. Video Ignites Speculation That He Popped a Nicotine Pouch During Confirmation Hearing
Trump's health secretary nominee, who has received bipartisan criticism over his controversial past statements, was previously spotted holding Zyn-brand nicotine pouches despite lobbying against unsafe chemicals
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RFK Jr. during his second confirmation hearing, appearing to place a nicotine pouch in his mouth.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ignited online speculation by appearing to place a nicotine pouch inside his gum during his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, Jan. 30.
In his second of two confirmation hearings, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services — who built a recent cult following as an outspoken critic of harmful chemicals — appeared to pop a nicotine pouch while Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell was questioning him.
In footage of the hearing that circulated on social media, Kennedy is seen pulling something out of his inside jacket pocket and holding onto it while Cantwell is speaking. Minutes later, between his responses, he appears to remove something that was resting under his left lower lip and then slip another item into his mouth, using his tongue to position it in front of his gum.
The placement of the items was similar to how someone would use nicotine pouches, which are not able to be swallowed — though the video does not show what exactly the nominee put in his mouth.
In the past he has been photographed carrying Zyn-brand nicotine pouches, which quickly fueled the internet's speculation.
PEOPLE reached out to his spokesperson for comment.
Win McNamee/Getty
Robert F. Kennedy at his first health secretary confirmation hearing on Jan. 29RFK Jr. folded his nontraditional health message into Trump's political platform when the two joined forces in August 2024, branding it the "Make America Healthy Again" movement — a spin-off of Trump's MAGA slogan.
"MAHA," Kennedy has stated, involves pushing back against processed foods, vaccines and "Big Pharma" — a few main drivers of harmful chemicals consumed by Americans, NPR reported in November 2024.
Some of his fringe proposals for achieving a new era of health, though, are at odds with scientific data, which was a repeated concern from senators that arose in his confirmation hearings.
Related: RFK Jr.'s Lawyer Petitioned the FDA to Revoke Polio Vaccine Approval
Michael M. Santiago/Getty
Zyn nicotine pouchesZyn nicotine pouches — which have become a popular alternative to smoking cigarettes or vaping, due to their lack of smoke or scent — have been found to contain ammonia, chromium, formaldehyde and nickel, according to a 2023 study from BMC Chemistry.
Though nicotine pouches are seen as a less destructive alternative to cigarettes, the American Lung Association stated that nicotine — a highly addictive chemical — is harmful in any form.
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The HHS secretary nominee has a history of drug use and substance abuse, he shared in a resurfaced interview from July 2024.
In the interview, he admitted he used narcotics to bolster his academic performance, but eventually got sober when he was arrested for heroin possession in 1983.
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