'Betrayed their trust': Donald Trump just alienated another key part of MAGA base

During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump broadened his appeal by ramping up his outreach to Latinos, independents, swing voters, tech bros, Generation Z and the Manosphere. Trump's 2024 coalition also included the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement, which started with conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign. But now, according to the conservative website The Bulwark, he is alienating MAHA activists.

RFK Jr., son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy Sr. (D-Massachusetts) and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, initially challenged then-President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary. But after exiting that primary, he continued his presidential campaign as an independent before ending his campaign altogether, joining the Republican Party, and endorsing Trump. Now, RFK Jr. serves as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the second Trump Administration.

Trump recently issued an executive order demanding more production of the pesticide glyphosate, which many environmentalists consider dangerous.

In an article published by The Bulwark on February 22, reporter Jonathan Cohn explains, "The reaction on social media was exactly what you'd expect to hear from environmentalists on the left: 'absolutely disgusting and shameful,' 'literally no justification for the way this was done,' 'a middle finger to public health." But these posts didn't come from Trump's progressive critics. They came from some of his most enthusiastic supporters: influencers who identify as part of the Make America Healthy Again movement."

Cohn adds, "MAHA is the loose coalition of activists, social media figures, and like-minded voters who believe America is being slowly poisoned by the food and pharmaceutical industries. Their preoccupations include fighting environmental toxins and hawking wellness products, promoting natural diets, and challenging mainstream science on vaccines."

RFK Jr. draws strong criticism from Democrats for anti-vaxxer views they consider dangerous, although they agree with some of his ideas: more exercise, eating fewer processed foods, eating more fruits and vegetables.

Trump, meanwhile, is known for his unhealthy diet, which includes consuming huge quantities of McDonald's food and Diet Coke. Yet his eating habits have managed to coexist with MAGA within the MAGA movement.

"Early on, (MAHA) felt their faith was being rewarded," Cohn explains. "Trump tapped Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, with a mandate to 'ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives.' But that was then. In the wake of Wednesday's executive order and a series of episodes leading up to it, MAHA's leaders say they feel like Trump has betrayed their trust and, in the process, alienated their followers."

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