It was the first White House press briefing of the new year, and a cast of President Donald Trump's top health officials took the stage.
By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
Published: 18:24 BST, 7 January 2026 | Updated: 20:13 BST, 7 January 2026
It was the first White House press briefing of the new year, and a cast of President Donald Trump's top health officials took the stage.
Then it was quickly interrupted by a quack.
And it wasn't one of the doctors speaking.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. was addressing questions on revised US dietary guidelines for 2025 - 2030 when his phone began ringing.
The ringtone was that of a loud quacking duck sound.
Immediately, the Trump officials and nearly the entire White House press corps began laughing in unison.
It's not every day that the two typically adversarial parties can find comedic common ground.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz, National Nutrition Advisor Ben Carson and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt all appeared to crack smiles at the poorly timed call and sudden, startling quacking.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. was interrupted by his quacky ringtone during Wednesday's White House briefing
The entire Trump team began laughing as RFK sought to silence his cellular
Top Trump health officials were at the briefing to announce new dietary guidelines. Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins quipped during the quacky phone incident that eating duck is encouraged, as increasing protein in US diets is a focal point of the new guidance
The only one not enthused - perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed - was RFK himself.
He suddenly jammed his hand into his pocket and frantically tried to silence the cell phone. Eventually, he cracked a smile of his own and handed his phone to Oz, who swiftly quieted the quacking.
With grins still abounding, Rollins cracked a joke to keep the fun alive: 'Duck is a good thing to eat, everybody!'
She noted how it is rich in protein, which was a major focus of the announcement.
After all, they were talking about the newly revised food pyramid, which inverts the old model and places protein, dairy, healthy fats, vegetables and fruits at the top.
'Protein and healthy fats are an essential and we're wrongly discouraged,' Kennedy said of the prior nutritional guidance. 'In prior dietary guidelines, we are ending the war on saturated fats, diets rich in vegetables and fruits reduce disease risk more effectively than any drugs.
'My message is clear, eat real food,' he continued. 'Nothing matters more for healthcare outcomes, economic productivity, military readiness and fiscal stability.'
Makary remarked how the new guidelines for kids' protein intake recommend 50 to 100 percent more protein than the previous guidance.
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