There has been a cultural sea change over the last year when it comes to health in America. It is shepherded by an unexpected coalition of nutritionists, longevity experts, wellness influencers, holistic and functional doctors of medicine, moms wearing babies and natural deodorant, mushroom shamans, and some vaccine skeptics. They’ve gathered under the banner of Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, and they’re here to tell us that plastic cutting boards, Diet Coke, and pasteurized milk—all things that once seemed perfectly normal in American life—are actually killing us.
A decade ago, if you read that list of personas you would think MAHA is some woo-woo, hippie progressive movement. But here we are in 2025, and this is the same group that helped usher Donald Trump to power.
What does MAHA stand for? What does it look like when it marries itself to power? And what will MAHA actually be able to accomplish over the next four years under their fearless leader—and risky Health and Human Services secretary nominee—Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?
Live in D.C. during inauguration weekend, Calley Means, Jillian Michaels, and Vani Hari explain.
Calley is the founder of Truemed and co-author of Good Energy. Jillian is America’s original fitness expert and the author of nine books. Vani is the founder of Truvani, and you probably know her from her blog Food Babe. She also got Subway to remove “the yoga mat chemical” from its bread. And the fact that there was a yoga mat chemical in its bread is the whole purpose of this conversation.
In a live conversation in D.C., the three MAHA whisperers explained why this movement just might be the most powerful political force in American life.
Click below to listen to our conversation, presented by Uber and X, or scroll down for an edited transcript.
The MAHA mom:
Bari Weiss: Thirty years ago, during the Clinton vs. Dole race, soccer moms swayed the election. They wanted common sense pragmatism, and they found that in Bill Clinton. Now, the new soccer mom is the MAHA mom. Vani, you exemplify the MAHA mom. Give us a sense of that world and these moms.
Vani Hari: They’re fed up with the mass poisoning of our food system. They see that American companies are using better, safer ingredients in the products they sell overseas, while selling that same product in the U.S. with more toxic, more poisonous ingredients, everything from Kellogg’s cereal to Lucky Charms to Coca-Cola. Moms see the differences on the ingredient lists side by side, and they’re just dying for some healthy food for their children. And they want to hold someone accountable.
They not only care about their own health but they’re willing to go to bat, to call corporations, and to show up at the headquarters. A thousand people showed up in Battle Creek, Michigan, to deliver 400,000 signatures to Kellogg’s headquarters. I’ve never seen that kind of movement on the ground. There’s no direct flights to Battle Creek and people still showed up. This is pent-up frustration because our kids are suffering more than ever. Thirty-eight percent of preteens between 12 and 18 are going to be prediabetic. That’s unacceptable. Our moms are looking for answers.