A leading healthcare group, Protect Our Care, has demanded that US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resign after he said on a 12 February podcast, “I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats,” comments critics say downplay COVID risks. The group cited cocaine’s link to nearly 30,000 US overdose deaths in 2023 and called Kennedy unfit to lead HHS. Kennedy’s tenure has also drawn fire over his handling of measles outbreaks, vaccine messaging, and new dietary guidance, while polls show majority public disapproval.
‘Resign’: Healthcare Group Urges RFK Jr. To Step Down After Podcast Cocaine Remark
Robert F Kennedy Jr: ‘I’m not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.’Photograph: Al Drago/Reuters(Photograph: Al Drago/Reuters)
A leading healthcare advocacy group has called for US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign after he appeared to downplay COVID-19 risks and recounted past cocaine use on a podcast. On the 12 February episode of comedian Theo Von’s podcast This Past Weekend, Kennedy said,
“I’m not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.”
Kennedy, who was appointed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) despite his well-known anti-vaccine activism, referenced his attendance at in-person recovery meetings during the pandemic and acknowledged past struggles with addiction. He said those meetings were essential to his recovery:
“If I don’t treat it, which for me means going to meetings every day, it’s just bad for my life.”
Strong Reaction From Advocacy Groups
Protect Our Care, a prominent healthcare advocacy organization, issued a one-word demand: Resign. The group also noted that cocaine was linked to nearly 30,000 overdose deaths in the United States as recently as 2023 and said Kennedy’s remarks underscore why he is unfit to lead such an important federal agency.
Broader Controversies
The podcast comment is the latest controversy during Kennedy’s first year as HHS secretary in the Donald Trump administration. He has faced criticism for his handling of recent US measles outbreaks — which have resulted in several deaths from a disease that was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 — and for framing measles vaccination as a personal choice rather than a universal public-health priority.
Critics have also raised concerns about his new dietary guidance, arguing that an emphasis on meat and dairy could harm public health and contribute to environmental damage, including deforestation for agricultural expansion.
Public Opinion And Official Response
Recent polling by KFF indicates a majority of the public disapprove of Kennedy’s performance as health secretary and his handling of vaccine policy. Democratic Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado wrote on X:
“Public health can’t survive another year of this.”
Asked for comment, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon defended Kennedy’s leadership:
“Under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, HHS is exercising its full authority to deliver results for the American people. In 2025, the department confronted longstanding public health challenges with transparency, courage, and gold-standard science … HHS will carry this momentum into 2026 to strengthen accountability, put patients first, and protect public health.”
The episode has renewed debate about the qualifications, messaging and public-trust implications of Kennedy’s tenure at HHS. Advocates and lawmakers on both sides continue to weigh the potential consequences for public health policy and confidence in the federal health system.
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