Trump Official’s Speech Interrupted by Barking Dog

Dr. Ben Carson, who serves as the USDA’s national advisor for nutrition, health, and housing under President Donald Trump, said Monday that he wants kids eating “food fresh from the ground,” though after a dog barked in the crowd, he cited “sweet corn and hot dogs” as examples.

The moment came as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a “Harvest to Hallways” rally at the USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C., during which they announced roughly $90 million in funding for school cafeteria equipment aimed at improving nutrition for students as part of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

Carson, who himself ran for president in 2016, took the podium Monday. A group of children sat on the floor in front of him, also facing the audience, which apparently included at least one furry friend.

Read his full remarks below:

I remember not too many months ago, Secretary Rollins and I went to a school, and we were giving the children whole milk. They were just so amazed. They said, “I didn’t know milk could taste this good!”

And what if we introduced them to food fresh from the ground? Teaching them — making these relationships with the farmers so they learn about the soil. They learn about irrigation. They learn about the effect that it has on their crop. They get an opportunity to eat a tomato fresh off the vine. It’s a different food than you get in the store, quite frankly. Fresh sweet corn and hot dogs. But what a difference it makes when they can taste these things. They won’t have a craving for the unhealthy foods that are so prevalent in our society.

In another wild moment from the event, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) claimed that “60 and 70%” of American kids are “obese.” According to CDC data noted by The Bulwark, however, the obesity rate among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 is 19.7%.

In response to Carson’s statement, @HHSResponse clarified on X that the “‘hot dogs’ line came immediately after a dog barked in the audience.”

Watch above via @Fox10Phoenix on YouTube at the 1:01:46 minute mark.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that a barking dog prompted Carson’s remark about eating “hot dogs.”

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