The gesture of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — American Secretary of Health — by performing 20 pull-ups this Monday (8), at Ronald Reagan Airport, in Virginia, did not go unnoticed. The initiative, carried out in front of passengers and authorities, aimed to promote the practice of physical activity as a well-being habit before long flights. The scene had repercussions on social networks and generated a wave of good-natured comments on the secretary’s physical performances.
- Watch: Robert Kennedy does 20 pull-ups at a US airport to encourage healthy habits before flights
The episode ended up being placed alongside a 2019 recording in which then-President Jair Bolsonaro, then-São Paulo Governor João Doria, and then-GSI general Augusto Heleno appear doing push-ups during an event at the Paralympic Training Center, in São Paulo, alongside military police youth.
In the disc, published at the time by the teams involved, Bolsonaro, Doria and Heleno perform ten push-ups in about 20 seconds, alongside other athletes, as a way of demonstrating their vitality and commitment to social inclusion programs through sport – in this context, with the signing of a mandate of support from the state government to the Brazilian Paralympic Committee.
In 2019, the video was also commented on online, but in a rather ironic tone. Among the most shared posts at the time were phrases such as “When I’m at the gym and I think the workout is done wrong, I come here and my record as an athlete is at the top”, “Whenever I’m sad, I come to see Bolsonaro with his neck bend and I smile instantly” and “Bolsonaro looks like a seal”.
The comparison between the two moments generated a certain reading on the symbols of physical force used as a tool of political communication, in addition to reviving memes and comments that had already marked the Brazilian episode of 2019.
Although both moments involve authorities performing physical activity in front of the cameras, the contexts are different: in Kennedy’s case it is an action that is part of a campaign aimed at health and well-being during air travel. Additionally, among the reactions, users wrote phrases such as “little uncle is a knife in the skull”, “he is well trained” and “uncle is fine, huh”, in a tone of surprise and admiration.
The 2019 Brazilian video refers to a performance embedded in a public commitment to inclusion and social investment.
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Regarding the protagonists, it is worth remembering: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a lawyer and environmental activist, member of the traditional Kennedy family, with solid experience in causes related to public health, the environment and industrial regulation. In the transition to 2025, already working under the administration of Donald Trump, he assumed the position of Secretary of Health, adopting a profile focused on promoting healthy habits, in line with the family tradition of public visibility.
On the Brazilian side, Jair Bolsonaro — convicted in a trial of attempted coup and violent abolition of the democratic rule of law — is in pretrial detention, while legal measures that could influence the length of his sentence continue to be debated.
General Augusto Heleno, sentenced to 19 years in prison for his participation in the same context. João Doria, who rose to prominence in 2019 as a governor and high-profile political figure, is now removed from public life and without elected positions.
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