RFK Jr. Takes Grandkids for a Swim in Toxic Sludge

This weekend, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., America’s caller wellness czar, erstwhile again demonstrated his wide deficiency of qualifications for the occupation by taking his grandchildren swimming successful a toxic Washington D.C. waterway.

Kennedy, who is Trump’s caller manager of the Department of Health and Human Services, inscrutably decided to instrumentality his grandkids for a dip successful Rock Creek, a tributary adjacent the nation’s superior that has been officially deemed not suitable for quality activity.

“Mother’s Day hike successful Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a aquatics with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius successful Rock Creek,” Kennedy posted connected X, implicit the weekend.

Mother’s Day hike successful Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a aquatics with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius successful Rock Creek. pic.twitter.com/TXowaSMTFY

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 11, 2025

This pastoral country mightiness beryllium endearingly folksy, were it not for the information that Rock Creek is the unfortunate dumping ground for the region’s sewage discharge. As such, the authorities has officially banned country residents from swimming, oregon adjacent wading, successful the creek.

“Swimming and wading are not allowed owed to precocious bacteria levels,” the National Park Service has said, of the creek. “Rock Creek has precocious levels of bacteria and different infectious pathogens that marque swimming, wading, and different interaction with the h2o a hazard to quality (and pet) health. Please support yourself and your pooches by staying connected trails and retired of the creek. All District waterways are taxable to a aquatics prohibition – this means wading, too!”

In the photos shared online by Kennedy, the HHS manager tin beryllium seen dunking his grandson into the bacteria-laden water. Gizmodo reached retired to the HHS for much accusation astir this photo-op.

The HHS manager happily dunking his caput successful a poop-polluted creek seems similar an apt ocular metaphor for nationalist wellness argumentation close now. Indeed, Kennedy and the remainder of the Trump medication look to beryllium doing everything successful their powerfulness to marque much areas of America similar Rock Creek—that is, polluted and uninhabitable by humans. Over the past fewer months, the Trump medication has sought to drastically chopped biology regulations crossed the board—including for h2o and aerial safety. At the aforesaid time, the HHS, nether Kennedy, has attacked vaccine programs and laid disconnected thousands of national workers astatine the Food and Safety Administration and different parts of the national wellness workforce. At the aforesaid time, Kennedy has leaned progressively into unproven conspiracy mentation rhetoric, signaling a willingness to walk national wealth and resources connected his ain idiosyncratic preoccupations and fringe science.