Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited employees at the FDA on Friday and reportedly told them that “the Deep State is real.” The visit was his first appearance with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and was reportedly meant to welcome the new chief.

“President Trump always talks about the Deep State, and the media, you know, disparages him and says that he’s paranoid,” Kennedy said according to Politico, which reported it obtained an audio recording and transcript of the secretary’s remarks. “But the Deep State is real. And it’s not, you know, just George Soros and Bill Gates and a bunch of nefarious individuals sitting together in a room and plotting the, you know, the destruction of humanity.”

According to multiple reports, Kennedy pointed the finger at “institutional pressures.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum” at Fox News Channel Studios.  (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

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Kennedy also reportedly said the FDA had become a “sock puppet” of the industries it was meant to regulate. NBC News reported that Kennedy said that this was the case with “every agency,” not just the FDA.

One area where Kennedy said he has seen this within the FDA is its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) system, which he says acts as a “loophole” for food companies. In March, Kennedy directed the FDA to reevaluate its policies on food companies obtaining approval before adding new ingredients to their products. He believes that “eliminating this loophole” will not only provide consumers with more transparency, but will be key in improving Americans’ health.

FDA sign at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. (iStock)

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The HHS secretary has not hidden his disdain for the FDA, especially as he spoke throughout the 2024 election cycle about what changes he believes are crucial to improving Americans’ health. About a week and a half before the election, Kennedy — who had already endorsed now-President Donald Trump — issued clear warnings on social media to those who “work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system.”

He told them to preserve their records and to “pack your bags.”

President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (GREG NASH/POOL/AFP/Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg/Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance)

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Kennedy recently embarked on a MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) tour in which he visited Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. According to HHS, Kennedy was set to speak on state laws banning ultra-processed foods and food dyes from school lunches, among other regulations.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment on the reports outside working hours but did not receive a response for publication.