Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) is Kennedy’s brainchild, both political movement and policy platform. MAHA takes an unconventional approach to public health, encouraging less government involvement in some areas and stiffer regulations in others. Its “moonshot” is to reverse the chronic disease epidemic, a massive contributor to health care costs, through healthier lifestyles, safer foods, and health literacy.

Make America Healthy Again focuses on certain Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), such as safe food and a clean environment. The movement seeks to “align health-conscious, independent-minded” Americans around matters of public health, like prioritizing regenerative agriculture; making sure companies are transparent about harmful chemicals; and tackling chronic disease with a nutrition-informed, whole-person strategy. On the campaign, Kennedy said he hoped to reform federal programs to disincentivize ultra-processed foods and ban pesticides and chemicals.

Other components of MAHA give public health experts pause. Portions of MAHA’s philosophy are not supported by the broader scientific community, such as drinking raw milk or removing fluoride in water.

Many aspects of MAHA will now have to align with President Trump’s overall vision. Some of the actions of the previous Trump Administration, like the loosening of nutrition standards for school lunches or green-lighting of more than 100 pesticides banned in other countries, seem to run contrary to MAHA’s core tenets. Kennedy is particularly focused on children, telling Fox News, “We have a generation of kids who are swimming around in a toxic soup right now.”