Let's talk about Trump and RFK Jr causing a fissure in MAHA.... - Belle of the Ranch

[TexasTowelie]

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about Trump and RFK Jr. causing a fissure in MAHA.

In the latest example of Trump doing something that is a direct move against his base's core beliefs, he issued an executive order to increase production of glyphosate-based herbicides. It also seeks to provide immunity for makers of the herbicides. RFK Jr. has long suggested that the herbicides are bad. And when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told his followers back in 2024 that if he joined Donald Trump's team, he would make sure to “ban the worst agriculture chemicals.”

The core of the Make America Healthy Again coalition tend to view glyphosate as one of the biggest enemies so they were happy to see a true believer in the administration. Well, about that. Now that Trump's executive order is out, Kennedy said, "Donald Trump's executive order puts America first where it matters most, our defense readiness and our food supply. We must safeguard America's national security first because all of our priorities depend on it. When hostile actors control critical inputs, they weaken our security. By expanding domestic production, we close that gap and protect American families.”

The response for the Make America Healthy supporters who really believe the rhetoric was swift and brutal. Kelly Ryerson is a major figure in MAHA and she's probably better known as Glyphosate Girl. She posted to social media, "Just as the large MAHA base begins to consider what to do at midterms, the president issues an EO to expand domestic glyphosate production, the very same carcinogenic pesticide that MAHA cares about most."

Vani Hari, who is a food activist, author, and another big MAHA figure, said, "This executive order reads like it was drafted in a chemical company boardroom. Calling it national defense while expanding protections for toxic products is a dangerous misdirection. Real national security is protecting American families, farmers, and children."

Ken Cook said he, "Can't envision a bigger middle finger to every mom." Ouch. He went on, “Elevating glyphosate to a national security priority is the exact opposite of what MAHA voters were promised. If Secretary Kennedy remains at HHS after this, it will be impossible to argue that his past warnings about glyphosate were anything more than campaign rhetoric designed to win trust and votes.

Now, it's worth noting that like most factions within Trump's base, a lot of the MAHA's core beliefs are in dispute to include the dangers of glyphosate. Most researchers and toxicologists will tell you the dose is what matters and that the trace amounts found in food tend to not ring alarm bells for them.

But this video isn't really about the science. This is about the political ramifications of running on one thing and doing the opposite. Because of this, the no new wars pledge, Trump's attempts at blocking the Epstein files, the no tax on overtime not being what people thought, and so on--we'll get some pretty clear evidence as to whether doing the exact opposite of what you told your voters even matters anymore, or if it's all down to party obedience.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.

[rampartd]

1. get 'em all together at mar a lago

for a roundup party. catered by monsanto.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. MaddowBlog-Trump executive order on a weed killer chemical didn't do RFK Jr. any favors

The “Make America Healthy Again” agenda is riddled with a series of overlapping contradictions, which are becoming even more common.

When RFK Jr. was on the campaign trail in 2024, he vowed that if he joined Trump’s team, he would “ban the worst agricultural chemicals.”

I have some bad news for the voters who actually believed he'd follow through on this.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-19T18:25:23.000Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-executive-order-on-a-weed-killer-chemical-didnt-do-rfk-jr-any-favors

About a year later, in November 2025, the Republican administration advanced a plan to approve agricultural pesticides containing “forever chemicals” as an active ingredient, despite concerns raised by some scientists and environmental activists. Kennedy, in his capacity as Trump’s health and human services secretary, bit his tongue.

This year, the underlying dynamic has reached a new level. The New York Times reported:

President Trump issued an executive order late Wednesday aimed at spurring the domestic production of glyphosate, a widely used weedkiller that has figured in health lawsuits.

The move immediately set off alarms among supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement, and appeared to put Mr. Kennedy in an awkward position.

As the report explains, glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, which has been the target of tens of thousands of lawsuits that claim it causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma......

This has been an ongoing issue for months. In June, MS NOW’s Catherine Rampell wrote a memorable Washington Post column along these lines, noting that Kennedy’s MAHA agenda is rooted in part in the idea that Americans’ health would greatly improve through better nutrition and exposure to fewer environmental toxins.

Kennedy, Rampell added, is nevertheless playing a leading role in an administration that’s “expanding use of environmental toxins.”

If Kennedy and Team Trump wanted to admit that the MAHA agenda was largely focused on undermining vaccines, it would be impolitic, but it would also be far closer to the truth.