RFK Jr. Says He’s Ending the War on Protein. It Doesn’t Exist

In a somewhat baffling directive, US Health Secretary RFK Jr. claims he’s “ending the warfare connected protein.”

The announcement, posted to White House’s X relationship connected January 11 alongside an ominously lit photograph of Kennedy, came arsenic portion of the national government’s 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines, which present prioritize macromolecule “at each meal.” Some of the advice—particularly the avoidance of ultra-processed foods and added sugars—has been good received by dietary experts and wellness organizations similar the American Heart Association. But different aspects of it correspond shake-ups that defy technological consensus. For example, the proposal of consuming saturated fats recovered successful full-fat milk, butter, and beef tallow contradicts erstwhile nutritional guidance, which mostly advised limiting saturated fats.

But 1 of the biggest takeaways from the caller nutrient guide—which volition power everything from SNAP to schoolhouse lunches—is that Americans should beryllium consuming much protein, ideally from animals.

“Today the lies stop,” Kennedy, person of MAGA’s brawnier and crunchier offshoot, the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, said successful an announcement astir the caller guidance connected January 7. “ Protein and steadfast fats are indispensable and were wrongly discouraged successful anterior dietary guidelines.”

The happening is, determination is nary warfare connected protein. If ever determination was one, it was mislaid agelong ago. Americans person rather virtually ne'er been arsenic obsessed with macromolecule arsenic they are today, with depletion levels successful the United States reaching grounds highs, adjacent arsenic macromolecule deficiency is astir nonexistent.

Still, Kennedy’s screed makes consciousness successful the discourse of a MAGA question that has made assemblage image, fitness, and masculinity cardinal tenets.

"They're trying to necktie it into the warfare connected masculinity, the warfare connected warrior culture. All of this worldly is connected,” said Colin Davis, a idiosyncratic trainer and governmental commentator who has been captious of MAGA’s encroachment into the fittingness space.

In August, Kennedy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted videos online of themselves doing push-ups and pull-ups arsenic portion of what they called the “Pete and Bobby Fitness Challenge.” Hegseth besides convened an unprecedented gathering of US generals successful Quantico, Virginia, successful September to accost them implicit the military’s fittingness and grooming standards. “It’s wholly unacceptable to spot abdominous generals and admirals successful the halls of the Pentagon,” Hegseth said to the hundreds of generals successful attendance.

President Trump himself has connected his question to fittingness done his relationship with UFC CEO Dana White, orchestrating a fig of run appearances astatine UFC events successful 2024. These de facto rallies enactment the then-presidential campaigner successful adjacent proximity to young, physically acceptable men who would sometimes motorboat into post-fight rants supporting him; Trump would spell connected to flip the young antheral ballot by a astir 30-point borderline successful his favour during the 2024 election. In June, the White House is hosting a UFC cage combat arsenic portion of America’s 250th day celebrations, Trump has said.

Some experts accidental Kennedy’s reworking of the dietary guidelines is simply a continuation of that project, successful peculiar the accent connected carnal proteins, projecting a signifier of idealized masculinity by playing into long-held and well-researched taste perceptions astir nutrient and gender.

“ There's a long-standing relation of men with meat, fire, cooking outdoors,” said Charlotte Biltekoff, prof of food, vino and civilization astatine the University of California, Davis. “And women with lighter food, dieting for value loss, vegetables, fruits and salads.”

All of this serves to enactment the president and his broader governmental question into the proximity of a benignant of aspirational masculinity that is precocious agency, strong, physically attractive, and neatly situated wrong accepted sex roles.