MAHA's Struggle with Identity: Corporate Connections Versus Community Origins

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) initiative, which once brought together anti-vaccine proponents and environmentalists, is now experiencing internal divisions due to conflicting goals and involvement with corporations. Grassroots members claim the leadership has abandoned its original mission, while Kennedy and his supporters argue that adapting to the realities of leadership is necessary to broaden the movement’s impact.

This discord became especially apparent this week as Kennedy was criticized by former supporters and dismissed staff. Gray Delany, who was removed from his position at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in August, expressed on a podcast, "

... what I've heard of what's happening today is not the MAHA that we signed up for." The backlash follows a high-profile Washington event where biotech firms like and , along with AI startups, occupied the stage alongside federal health officials. "make America healthy again."

Kennedy, who has long expressed doubts about vaccines, has taken decisive action to reduce immunization initiatives, including cutting $500 million from vaccine research and restructuring the federal vaccine advisory board. His administration also to question the established scientific agreement that vaccines are not linked to autism. Still, many within the "health freedom" community believe these steps do not go far enough. , while others push for the removal of mRNA vaccines from the market-despite their role in saving millions of lives.

The administration's balancing act has drawn further scrutiny.

with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to reduce weight-loss medication costs, despite earlier skepticism about pharmaceutical solutions to public health crises. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of Medicare and Medicaid, of Trump's "negotiation playbook." Meanwhile, Kennedy's team has faced accusations of cozying up to corporations, with critics citing of beef-tallow fries as emblematic of a movement diluting its original message.

Kennedy has sought to quell dissent, defending figures like White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and adviser Stefanie Spear against conspiracy theories suggesting they are undermining his agenda. "

," he wrote on X, emphasizing unity. His efforts to bridge divides were bolstered by , a senior HHS adviser, to a permanent role overseeing food and nutrition policy-a move intended to align MAHA with broader Trump administration priorities.

Public support for MAHA remains robust, with two-thirds of Americans endorsing the initiative in a June Ipsos poll.

"a sign of its success," noting its commitment to "transparency, accountability, and measurable results." Yet public health experts caution that broadening the coalition risks alienating its core base. , "The bigger your tent is, the harder it can be to make everyone happy."

As MAHA navigates its identity crisis, Kennedy's ability to reconcile idealism with political pragmatism will determine whether the movement remains a force for change-or splinters into irrelevance.