According to Mediaite, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that actor Mark Ruffalo has a bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, after the two had a heated exchange over text message. Kennedy made the comments during the Fly Zone USA podcast appearance hosted by Christian Mathis. The remarks came after Kennedy described the private conversation he had with the Marvel star.
When Mathis asked whether Kennedy was referring to the actor famous for playing the Incredible Hulk, Kennedy confirmed it was indeed Ruffalo. Kennedy said the actor was clearly upset during their exchange. He said the conversation left no question about where Ruffalo stood.
Kennedy revealed that during the text exchange, Ruffalo told him, “You’re working for the stupidest man in America.” In response, Kennedy said, “He’s got really bad Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Kennedy acknowledged that many Democrats hold this view of President Trump.
Kennedy describes Trump as having wide-ranging knowledge after working with him closely
Kennedy admitted he once shared that opinion himself, believing Trump to be shallow and not very deep intellectually, but said his view changed after he began working directly with the president.
According to Kennedy, Trump has an encyclopedic mind and knows a great deal about many different topics. He described a moment while flying with the president, during which Trump showed his knowledge of international affairs. Kennedy said Trump took his “very beautiful hand” and drew a “perfect picture” of the Middle East, laying out the troop strength that each country kept at its borders.
Kennedy also said Trump is highly knowledgeable about music, theater, and sports, and claimed the president can out-talk almost anyone on sports statistics and history. He added that Trump has a deep understanding of Wall Street, including who made money, how they made it, and how various financial deals were structured.
Ruffalo has a long history of publicly criticizing Trump. He has used his platform to call the president a “pedophile,” “convicted rapist,” and “grifter,” and has also referred to him as “public enemy number one.” At a 2025 event called the No Kings rally, Ruffalo claimed that Trump had “made himself a king and dictator.”
Trump has pushed back against such criticism before, calling protesters like Ruffalo “whacked-out.” In a statement last year, Trump responded directly to accusations of authoritarianism, saying, “I’m not a king, I work my ass off to make our country great, that’s all it is. I’m not a king, at all.” In a similar case, the White House also accused critics of having Trump Derangement Syndrome after the President won the FIFA Peace Prize.
Kennedy, for his part, positioned himself firmly on the side of the president he now serves, calling out Ruffalo’s remarks while defending Trump’s intellect based on his own personal experience working alongside him. A similar defense of Trump’s policies has recently involved RFK Jr. supporting a mathematically impossible drug price claim.
Published: Jul 18, 2026 01:30 pm