That question prompted Vance to reveal that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had introduced him to an unusual eating regimen — one featuring plenty of protein, fermented vegetables, and an enormous amount of sauerkraut.
And Vance had the room laughing as he explained how it all started.
Vance Gets Asked About His Waistline
Vance responded to Doocy’s question with some self-deprecating humor.
“So, when you’re the vice president of the United States and one of the first questions at a press conference in the White House is how much weight you’ve lost, you must have gotten very fat,” Vance quipped.
According to Vance, the experiment began around Lent.
He had initially considered doing something relatively conventional, such as cutting sugar. Instead, he called Kennedy and ended up receiving a much more ambitious proposal.
“Bobby Kennedy says, ‘No, no, no, no, I’ve got something that’s way better than that and way more intense,'” Vance told reporters.
Kennedy’s recommendation reportedly involved an eating plan associated with physician Dr. Sean O’Mara, emphasizing protein and fermented foods while steering participants away from many processed products.
One food in particular became impossible to miss: sauerkraut.
Lots of sauerkraut.
Vance apparently committed to the plan rather than simply experimenting with it for a few days.
“If that was Fat Tuesday, Fat Wednesday never came,” Vance said.
Then came the punchline that drew even more attention.
“My advice to you is that if you want to lose weight, call Bobby Kennedy. And if you want to enjoy what you eat, do not call Bobby Kennedy.”
Kennedy’s Diet Finds Powerful Converts
Vance isn’t the only prominent political figure reportedly persuaded to give the regimen a shot.
Kennedy has become something of an evangelist for the program after adopting it himself.
He has said he lost 20 pounds in roughly 30 days and reduced his visceral fat substantially while following the approach.
From there, Kennedy apparently began recruiting colleagues.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reportedly heard the pitch directly from Kennedy during a flight. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also adopted the approach.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reportedly tried it as well and lost several inches around his waist.
Kennedy has publicly pointed to Vance as another success story.
“JD Vance is also on the diet and you can see how different he looks.”
Vance initially framed his commitment around Lent, but his remarks indicate the dietary changes lasted considerably longer.
His reported menu isn’t particularly complicated.
Eggs and berries are among the staples, along with meat and fermented vegetables. Sauerkraut, unsurprisingly, remains a major component.
The cabbage obsession has even followed Kennedy outside the house.
Kennedy’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has joked about drawing the line at carrying a container of sauerkraut in her clutch while the couple headed out to dinner.
Apparently, even the Make America Healthy Again agenda has limits.
Not Everyone in Trump’s Orbit Is Convinced
Kennedy’s enthusiasm for changing America’s eating habits has become one of the most visible pieces of the broader MAHA movement.
He has also taken the message beyond Washington, including through cooking content intended to show families how healthier meals can be prepared without enormous grocery bills.
But Kennedy hasn’t exactly converted the entire Trump administration.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has poked fun at the diet and defended a considerably less austere American culinary tradition, joking that Pop-Tarts are “one of the great American innovations.”
President Donald Trump may be an even tougher recruit.
Trump’s famous affection for Diet Coke and McDonald’s has survived Kennedy’s crusade against highly processed foods, despite Kennedy describing junk food as “just poison.”
That contrast may be part of what makes the story so entertaining.
Kennedy has spent years railing against the ingredients and eating habits he believes have contributed to America’s chronic disease crisis.
Now he has access to some of the most powerful people in Washington — and apparently isn’t shy about trying to change what’s on their plates.
MAHA Comes to the Briefing Room
Vance’s weight loss turned what could have been an ordinary briefing-room exchange into an unexpected glimpse at how Kennedy’s health campaign is spreading inside the administration.
The vice president didn’t deliver a complicated lecture about calories, macros, or trendy weight-loss drugs.
Instead, he told reporters that he called Bobby Kennedy and ended up eating a lot more fermented cabbage than he originally expected.
More importantly for Kennedy, Vance apparently kept doing it.
The MAHA movement has often been discussed in Washington through the language of government policy: food additives, chronic disease, nutrition standards, pharmaceuticals, school lunches, and federal health agencies.
Thursday offered a much simpler version.
Kennedy persuaded the vice president to change his diet, Vance lost enough weight for reporters to notice, and now the story is being told from behind the White House podium.
Whatever Americans think of the menu, Kennedy has clearly found some influential converts.
And Vance supplied perhaps the most memorable endorsement possible:
“My advice to you is that if you want to lose weight, call Bobby Kennedy. And if you want to enjoy what you eat, do not call Bobby Kennedy.”
