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| - On Dec. 4, 2024, a post on X by a parody account posing as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services — went viral, receiving more than 9.5 million views and 7,700 likes. The post claimed to be an announcement from Kennedy that he would ban consumption of Diet Coke in the U.S. on Jan. 20, 2025.
BREAKING: Effective January 20th, I will be BANNING all consumption of Diet Coke in the United States. It's time to Make America Healthy Again. #MAHA Who's with me?
(X user @RFKJrHealthSec)
Variations of the rumor spread on other social media platforms, as well.
Some readers, including U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. However, there was no evidence of Kennedy planning to ban the soft drink. Credible outlets would have reported such an announcement.
Rather, the rumor about such a ban originated with X account @RFKJrHealthSec — a social media account that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Both the name and bio of the account state that it is a parody account. Although the parody account uses the same profile photo and background as Kennedy's authentic X account, his real X account handle is @RobertKennedyJr.
The fictional story spread as Kennedy awaits Senate confirmation for his appointment to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims involving Kennedy and Coca-Cola in the past, including the assertion that NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers wanted to join Kennedy's 2024 campaign and a rumor that Coca-Cola cut ties with Taylor Swift due to her endorsement of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
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