Overview
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on the Fly Zone USA podcast that a recent text exchange with Mark Ruffalo left the actor “very mad” and that Ruffalo has “really bad Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a claim Kennedy first aired on July 18, 2026.
- Kennedy quoted Ruffalo as saying “You’re working for the stupidest man in America,” then defended President Trump by praising his knowledge of music, theater, sports, Wall Street and foreign policy and recounting an in-flight anecdote about Trump drawing a map of the Middle East.
- Multiple outlets published Kennedy’s remarks the same day, reproducing his quotes from the podcast; none of the reports provide independent confirmation of the quoted texts or include a public response from Ruffalo.
- Coverage cites Ruffalo’s history of strong public attacks on Trump, including past comments calling the president a “pedophile,” a “convicted rapist,” a “grifter,” and saying he made himself “a king and dictator,” which frames the exchange as part of an ongoing celebrity political feud.
- The episode highlights how private celebrity disputes can be amplified into partisan narratives through anecdote-driven claims and media pickup, and it could prompt further public back-and-forth that keeps the clash in news cycles and fuels polarization.