Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to pop a highly addictive nicotine pouch beloved by many of his MAGA brethren during his Senate confirmation hearing this week.
At one point during Wednesday’s hearing, President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services—who has vowed to “Make America Healthy Again”—glanced down and then slipped something into his mouth, keeping it covered with his hand.
He then appeared to push it into place between his gum and cheek.
Social media users pounced on the move as the telltale sign of a man taking a stealthy dose of Zyn, a small pouch of crystallized nicotine powder that dissolves and gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream through gum tissue.
“RFK Jr. slips in a Zyn in the middle of his confirmation hearing… give him the job,” the country music site Whiskey Riff wrote in a post on X.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
In October, Kennedy was spotted carrying a pack of Zyn pouches in Los Angeles amid reports that he was having a cyber affair with journalist Olivia Nuzzi.
The pouches are Gen Z’s go-to alternative to smoking and “sit in a cultural nexus of frat life, hard partying and a dubious wellness space,” according to The New York Times. Users say Zyn helps them lose weight by boosting their workouts and suppressing their appetites.
At the same time, they’re sold in round boxes that resemble the dipping tins of yore. And like chewing tobacco, the pouches cause the user’s lip to bulge, apparently giving off the masculine energy that MAGA holds dear.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was one of the most prominent “Zynfluencers,” claiming the pouches were a “powerful work enhancer, and also a male enhancer,” according to the Times, before ditching them to start his own brand, Alp.
Donald Trump Jr. is also an avid user. In January, he posted photos on his Instagram feed showing him posing with his two youngest kids, playing board games and eating S’mores in front a roaring fire—with a pack of Zyn within easy reach.
In January, the Food and Drug Administration agreed to allow Zyn to be marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes that could help adults quit smoking. That doesn’t mean it’s safe, though, the agency warned.
Health officials describe the pouches as “highly addictive,” and despite Zyn’s promises to “reduce youth exposure” to product advertising, schools are already struggling to rein in its use. Most nicotine pouches have higher nicotine content than cigarettes or vapes.
All of which could explain why Kennedy was so careful to conceal whatever he put in his mouth during this week’s hearing.
