Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made his first appearance at the FDA on Friday, but instead of reassuring staff, his remarks left many stunned.

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In an unscripted 40-minute speech, Kennedy referenced conspiracy theories, criticised agency staff, and accused the FDA of being controlled by corporate interests.

'The Deep State is real,' says Kennedy

“President Trump always talks about the Deep State, and the media, you know, disparages him and says that he’s paranoid,” Kennedy told the audience, according to a transcript and audio obtained by Politico.

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“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,” Kennedy.

He went on to argue that every human institution eventually ends up in the hands of powerful interest groups.

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“All of us are subject to those gravities of agency capture,” he said. “Be conscious of that gravity because it’s going to be pulling you every single day of your career. We want to break away from this so we can make our kids healthy,” he added.

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Kennedy urged FDA staff to see his term as a chance to listen to “dissidents” and free the department from outside influence.

'Sock puppet' of industry

In another controversial moment, Kennedy described the FDA as having become a “sock puppet” for the very industries it is meant to regulate. He blamed rising rates of chronic disease, allergies, and other illnesses on unknown environmental toxins.

“This whole generation is damaged,” he said. “The information is out there. But those studies aren’t done because they may offend the financial interests of powerful entities,” he added.

In a personal anecdote, Kennedy reflected on the time he spent at the Wassaic State School in New York.

“Because of my family’s commitment to these issues, I spent 200 hours at Wassaic Home for the Retarded when I was in high school,” he said. “So I was seeing people with intellectual disabilities all the time. I never saw anybody with autism.”

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The comment drew further criticism, especially as Kennedy has previously been accused of pushing discredited theories linking vaccines and autism.

Just days earlier, Kennedy had justified the planned removal of 10,000 federal employees, saying HHS would have to “do more with less.” The mass layoff plan has already sparked pushback from both inside and outside the department.

(With inputs from agencies)