The claim that McDonald’s offered $850 million in ‘hush money’ to RFK Jr. is false. There is no evidence to support this claim, and neither McDonald’s nor Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have mentioned anything about such a payment. Kennedy discussed his stance on fast food during a Fox News appearance, expressing that he is against food that has seed oils and questioning why McDonald’s no longer uses tallow fat. McDonald’s stopped using beef tallow in 1990 to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol in their fries, switching to a canola-blend oil. The social media post making the claim received over 1,000 likes, but it is not based on credible information.
McDonald’s reported a net income of nearly $8.5 billion in 2023, making the purported $850 million payment for ‘hush money’ equivalent to about 10% of their annual income. While Kennedy is not alone in his views on seed oils, research has shown that they are associated with better health. Fact-check sources, including PolitiFact and Check Your Fact, have also debunked the claim. There is no credible evidence to support the assertion that McDonald’s offered RFK Jr. any amount of money to keep silent about fast food-related issues.
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