The nascent Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement finds itself “without a home,” according to Politico’s Playbook, with its alliance with President Donald Trump going through what Politico called its roughest patch yet.
After Tuesday’s Democratic sweep, Politico reported, there is “plenty of reason for divorce” between Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health-focused supporters and Trump’s MAGA coalition, and some of Kennedy’s most loyal followers are already looking elsewhere.
The two movements joined forces in 2024 for practical reasons. Trump wanted to win, and Kennedy wanted a platform to overhaul America’s food supply, farming practices and vaccine policies. That bargain “looks far less appealing” now that Democrats will control Congress, Politico reported.
Some MAHA loyalists are blaming Trump for the GOP’s losses. They point to his support for glyphosate, a weedkiller many in the movement say causes cancer, and to the lack of far-reaching action on vaccines, according to Politico.
Tiffany Cianci, an influencer who volunteered for Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign and identifies as unaffiliated, said politicians shouldn’t count on these voters.
“They didn’t buy these voters, they rented them,” Cianci told Politico. “The voters have said they’re moving, and they haven’t necessarily moved to the Democrats. The Democrats are going to have to earn it.”
The shift is visible at the top of the movement. Tony Lyons, president of MAHA’s network of nonprofits and political action committees, once hailed MAHA as a “once in a generation political gift to the GOP” and pledged in March to raise $100 million for MAHA-aligned Republicans. Federal filings show his MAHA PAC spent just over $1 million on federal races, with about $209,000 going to competitive contests, Politico reported.
On Wednesday, Lyons told supporters MAHA would work with Democrats who embrace its agenda. He also expressed skepticism that Democrats truly care about MAHA issues and challenged them to prove it by working with Kennedy instead of grilling him in hearings or trying to impeach him.
Some in the movement say picking a side was a mistake from the start. Moms Across America, a nonprofit founded by Kennedy fan Zen Honeycutt, endorsed Democrats including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) last month, along with a slate of Republicans.
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