Whoopi Goldberg is here to remind us that Michelle Obama did it first. On this morning’s episode of The View, the longtime moderator kicked off a conversation about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who has been tapped by president-elect Donald Trump to be his administration’s health secretary — by mentioning another government figure who launched her own health campaign years before his.
After playing a clip of Trump telling reporters yesterday that Kennedy is “a very rational guy” and assuring them that Americans won’t “lose the polio vaccine” under Kennedy’s leadership, Goldberg looked back on Obama’s own health goals as first lady.
“RFK Jr. also said yesterday that he, too, is all for the polio vaccine as he tries to sell his ‘MAHA’ movement, the ‘Make America Healthy Again.’ And it’s been gaining ground with folks,” Goldberg said.
She then added, “But let me remind everyone that long before him, MAHA was already ‘Michelle Makes America Healthy,’ OK?” to much applause from the audience.
Goldberg noted, “That’s what she was doing when she was first lady, so it’s not an unknown concept.”
As first lady, Obama spearheaded Let’s Move!, an initiative to make American children healthier through more nutritious diets and more active lifestyles. Her biography on President Barack Obama’s presidential library site also notes, “To illustrate healthy meal planning at home and encourage Americans to learn about where their food comes from, Mrs. Obama planted a vegetable garden on the grounds of the White House in 2009—the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden during World War II.”
On today’s show, the co-hosts were all in agreement that America needs a healthier population and better access to nutritious food, but they were doubtful Kennedy was the best pick to make it happen. Sunny Hostin, in particular, pointed out his lack of medical training despite his interest in Americans’ health.
“What’s really interesting is that RFK Jr. doesn’t have a medical degree. He knows … not much about medicine,” she said.
The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.
