MAHA moms: the cohort of women backing RFK Jr.'s health agenda

When President Donald Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, many public health officials and critics were wary of Kennedy's history of embracing questionable conspiracy theories. But a growing group of "momfluencers" feel vindicated by his appointment and have become vocal proponents of his and Trump's health agenda.

Who are they?

A coalition of momfluencers and food activists, also known by some as "crunchy moms," have become RFK Jr.'s most fervent supporters. Their passion about certain aspects of the national health agenda has "turned them into a potent political force" that forms a "critical part" of the "Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement," said Unherd. The group has made the "day-to-day business of motherhood," including "what their children are eating, what kind of medical care they receive, what products they use," a key political issue. The group's "Covid era-fueled suspicion of the medical and scientific establishment" has evolved into a "defining tendency on the right."

Kennedy recently held a gathering for what he calls the "MAHA moms," plus a few Trump cabinet members and administration staff. The meeting's agenda included topics like food additives, infant formula and screen time, according to an agenda viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Healthy-eating activist Vani Hari was thrilled to be included. "It was such an amazing opportunity to see some solidification of the MAHA agenda across the different cabinets," Hari, who calls herself "the Food Babe," said per The New York Times. The event was a "dream come true."

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What's their goal?

Kennedy and his band of MAHA moms have made it clear that the food industry is in their crosshairs. For instance, he wants Americans to be able to buy Froot Loops with the "same ingredients — dyes made from colored blueberries and carrots, instead of chemicals — used in Canada," and for French fries to be "cooked like they are in Europe," said the Times. The latter charge, part of MAHA's push against seed oils, has encouraged burger franchise Steak 'n Shake to switch to cooking their fries in Kennedy's preferred frying agent, beef tallow.

The MAHA moms also discussed baby formula. During one of the meetings, Trump's press secretary "lamented that baby formula seems healthier in Europe than in the United States," the Times said. A recent study shows that American varieties are "laden with added sugars." Kennedy recently met with formula makers and announced a push to expand options for "safe, reliable and nutritious infant formula."

The moms additionally backed up Kennedy's alternative ideas about treating measles amid an ongoing outbreak in Texas and New Mexico. Instead of urging the public to get the measles vaccine, RFK Jr. has "enthused about the effectiveness of Vitamin A and cod liver oil as treatments," said Unherd. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even posted information about vitamin A on its website after Kennedy promoted it as a measles treatment. Vitamin A and cod liver also happen to be the treatment of choice for the crunchy moms who are "widely credited with powering Kennedy's ascent."

Following the "closed-door MAHA Moms Roundtable," the White House posted a video of Kennedy and some of the attendees pronouncing ingredients found in pantry items, said the Journal. The video is an "early sign of the pressure that food manufacturers face" as Kennedy and his supporters "try to bend a major U.S. industry by swaying public opinion." Hari, who has around 2.2 million followers on Instagram, closed out the video with a pointed message for food companies: "If you are an American company poisoning us with ingredients you don't use in other countries, we're coming for you."