Washington D.C. – New reporting from Politico includes incredible commentary from MAHA moms who helped elect Donald Trump but now believe his administration has “washed its hands” of their priorities “after a string of perceived losses on pesticides and chemical regulations”, including:
- “We thought we were getting a different administration that wanted to stand up to special interests, stand up to the pharmaceutical industry, stand up to the food companies, stand up to Big Ag, Big Chem. And that is not what we got. What we have right now is business as usual,” said Vani Hari, a leader in the MAHA movement known as Food Babe who rose to prominence through her fight against chemicals in food. “We’re going to vote for whatever candidate puts the health of our children first,” Hari said. “I don’t have loyalty to anybody. And a lot of people feel that way within the MAHA movement.”
- But some in the MAHA coalition already feel the White House has washed its hands. Kelly Ryerson, a MAHA influencer who runs a group that promotes regenerative farming and has met with senior White House officials on pesticide policy, said it feels like the administration has made a “calculation” to move on from MAHA. “The swing Kennedy people aren’t going to show up at this point,” Ryerson said about the midterms.
- “I wouldn’t vote for Trump [again],” said Hannah Dunning, a MAHA influencer who posts about chemical-free clothing. “He’s shown his true colors. Come on … I don’t think Trump is concerned about health in any way, shape or form. I think he’s concerned about votes or his own legacy, and at this point, you know, not needing the votes, I think that’s why we’re seeing some more disregard of the MAHA movement.”
- Alex Clark, a lifelong Republican who hosts a wellness podcast produced by the conservative group Turning Point USA: “The fear is this was a bait and switch to use us for our votes and then do nothing that we voted for, so if we turn that into a reality, there will be such immense backlash against the GOP for years to come.”
“Donald Trump and RFK Jr. routinely pay lip service to MAHA only to turn around and sell their interests out to Trump’s big polluting and kid-poisoning corporate donors like makers of flavored vapes, glyphosate, and PFAS forever chemicals,” said Kayla Hancock, Director of Protect Our Care’s Public Health Project. “Yet the more that moms vent their frustration over being used as disposable political pawns, the more the Trump White House doubles down on doing the unhealthy bidding of its pro-pollution industry friends.”
A Look Back At Some of the Many Ways Trump and RFK Jr. Have Played MAHA Like Fiddles:
- Scrapping Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water: In May, Trump Health Secretary RFK Jr personally announced the administration’s latest finger in the eye of the MAHA movement: a major rollback of Biden-era restrictions on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water. These chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), “have been linked to cancer, immune system problems and infertility.” The deregulation plan is a major gift to Donald Trump’s big chemical industry mega donors, including DuPont, which was part of a $2 billion PFAS settlement last year and gave $250,000 to Trump’s campaign after the 2024 election.
- Bringing Back Cancer-Linked Glyphosate: In February, over MAHA objections, Secretary Kennedy unequivocally endorsed Donald Trump’s executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to bring back production of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup herbicide that has been repeatedly linked to cancer.
- Fast-Tracking Poisonous Flavored Vapes for Kids: Last Month, RFK Jr. dutifully followed Donald Trump’s order to push FDA Commissioner Marty Makary out the door for not moving ‘quickly enough’ to approve flavored vapes and nicotine products – a major no-no for MAHA leaders – after a $5 million big tobacco check to a Trump SuperPAC and fancy golf course luncheon between Trump and big tobacco/vape lobbyists.
- Gutting Pollution Protections: While MAHA leaders have spoken out about air and water pollutants, a new report from Climate Power and Protect Our Care details how Donald Trump has eliminated 31 pollution protections that, together, were set to deliver $275 billion in benefits per year and prevent 30,000 deaths annually. Repealing just nine of those protections could result in 220,000 premature deaths, 300,000 emergency room visits, up to 42 million missed school and work days, and 117 million asthma cases by 2055. Eight of them alone could trigger more than 10,000 asthma attacks per day.
- Atrazine Pesticide Rug Pull: A year ago, RFK Jr. made bold promises to MAHA moms to restrict the pesticide atrazine linked to cancer, birth defects and low sperm counts. A year later, the Trump U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a ‘review’ concluding atrazine does not pose an extinction risk to any threatened or endangered animals or plants, which “effectively paves the way for continued use,” and continued profits for Trump’s chemical industry donors.
- All Talk, No Action On Synthetic Food Dyes: In a nod to a major MAHA priority, RFK Jr. pledged to “phase out” artificial food dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 by the end of 2026. But as the Associated Press notes: “More than a year later, the FDA has not introduced any of the detailed, scientific regulatory documents needed to establish a safety issue with the half-dozen widely used dyes.”
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