Robert F. Kennedy Jr. enters bacteria-rich Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., sharing photos of his swim with grandchildren despite official warnings and a citywide ban since the 1970s. The 71-year-old cabinet secretary turns a hazardous tradition into an oddly wholesome spectacle.

DC’s long-standing swim ban didn’t stop Kennedy from splashing with family as “Mother’s Day hike” became a bacteria baptism. With “fecal contamination” flagged by the EPA, this viral political stunt puts “unsafe water levels” front and center, making campaign season feel like synchronized irony.