MAHA Is No Longer Useful to Trump
5/21/202658 min
Is the MAHA movement’s political influence waning? On “The Opinions,” the Times Opinion science editor Alexandra Sifferlin, the columnist and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom and the Opinion science writer David Wallace-Wells explored this question in a live event at the Brooklyn Public Library. They discussed the impact of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s tenure as secretary of health and human services and what a counternarrative to MAHA should look like.
Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Pat McCusker. Original music by Carole Sabouraud, Aman Sahota and Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Lori Segal and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to the Brooklyn Public Library.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJonathan Swan0:00
I'm Jonathan Swan. I'm a White House reporter for The New York Times. Our job as reporters is to dig out information that powerful people don't want published, to take you into rooms that you would not otherwise have access to. There's no robot that can go and talk to someone who was in the situation room and find out what was really said. In order to get original information that's not public, we actually need journalists to do that. I'm asking you to consider subscribing to The New York Times. Independent journalism is important, and without you, we simply can't do it.
Speaker 20:30
[Instrumental music] This is The Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times Opinion. You've heard the news. Here's what to make of it.
Alexandra Sifferlin· Host0:41
[Instrumental music] I'm Alexandra Sifferlin, a science editor at The New York Times. I recently hosted a live event at the Brooklyn Public Library to talk about the state and future of MAHA, the Make America Healthy Again movement. I was joined by opinion science writer David Wallace-Wells, and columnist Tressie McMillan. We discussed how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reshaping our healthcare system, our preparedness for future pandemics, and what vision, if any, Democrats have for what public health should look like for the nation. [audience applauding] Thank you. All right, so to start,