Members of the Make America Health Again (MAHA) movement are expressing dissatisfaction after their founder, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced his support for President Trump’s executive order on Wednesday to boost domestic glyphosate production. Glyphosate, a key component in Bayer’s Roundup, has been a frequent target of criticism by the MAHA movement and by Kennedy himself.
Vani Hari, known as “Food Babe” and a staunch ally of Kennedy, shared her dismay with The Washington Post, stating she was left “speechless” by the decision. “We truly were hoping that this administration would put people over corporate power,” she articulated, “but this action moves us away from that commitment.”
Trump’s executive order leverages the Defense Production Act to enhance U.S. production of glyphosate, which is currently imported in significant quantities from China, according to Reuters.
The MAHA movement has consistently stood against glyphosate, citing its potential contribution to childhood health issues. In 2024, while running for president, Kennedy—known for his anti-vaccine activism and environmental advocacy—remarked on social media that “The herbicide Glyphosate is one of the likely culprits in America’s chronic disease epidemic. … Shockingly, much of our exposure comes from its use as a desiccant on wheat, not as an herbicide. From there it goes straight into our bodies. My USDA will ban that practice.”
Despite these prior statements, Kennedy, now the U.S. Health Secretary under President Trump, has come out in favor of domestic glyphosate production. In a statement to CNBC, Kennedy declared that Trump’s executive order “puts America first where it matters most—our defense readiness and our food supply.”