Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., called Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘crazy,’ expressing support for Ukraine and advocating for ‘Secondary sanctions & arms support NOW.’

‘I agree with President Trump, war criminal Putin is crazy. The civilized world will not sit by for Putin’s imperial tantrum at the cost of more children’s lives. Secondary sanctions & arms support NOW. Grateful to stand with Ukraine as they continue to repel this unprovoked INVASION and work for peace in their homeland,’ Wilson wrote on X on Monday.

President Donald Trump asserted in a Sunday night Truth Social post that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ‘gone absolutely CRAZY!’ and is ‘needlessly killing’ many people. 

Trump, who has been aiming to help bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the post as well, declaring, ‘Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop.’

In a Monday night post on X, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, urged President Trump to act. 

‘I’ve had enuf of Putin killing innocent ppl. Pres Trump Take action AT LEAST SANCTIONS,’ Grassley said in the post.

A massive bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators is supporting a proposed sanctions measure. Grassley is an original cosponsor on the Senate measure and Wilson is an original cosponsor on the House edition.

Zelenskyy is also advocating for sanctions.

‘New and strong sanctions against Russia — from the United States, from Europe, and from all those around the world who seek peace — will serve as a guaranteed means of forcing Russia not only to cease fire, but also to show respect,’ Zelenskyy declared Monday in a post on X.

Former President Joe Biden’s official health reports during his White House tenure did not show signs of aggressive prostate cancer, a Fox News Digital review of the health documents shows. 

Biden, who suffered two brain aneurysms in 1988 that nearly claimed his life, received clean bills of health in 2021, 2023 and 2024, according to former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor’s annual reports on the president’s state of health. 

Biden was scheduled to receive a physical by the end of January 2023 but delayed the evaluation due to a busy travel schedule, the White House reported at the time. The former president had a roughly 15-month period between his 2021 physical and one conducted in February 2023. 

Fox News Digital reviewed the three reports posted by the White House in 2021, 2023 and 2024 and found that there were no signs indicating aggressive prostate cancer was on the horizon for the 46th president — though concerns over skin cancer were a common theme throughout the three reports. 

2021 

Biden’s White House physician released the president’s first annual health report in November 2021, declaring Biden a ‘healthy, vigorous’ man. 

‘President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,’ O’Connor wrote in the 2021 report. 

The report included routine screenings of Biden’s heart, eyes and teeth, as well as his occasional gastroesophageal reflux. 

The report noted that Biden also underwent ‘routine’ screenings for both colon cancer and skin cancer. Biden had multiple ‘localized, non-melenoma skin cancers removed’ ahead of his presidency after spending a good deal of time in the sun as a youth, the report stated, but that there were ‘no areas suspicious for skin cancer’ during the 2021 physical. 

The report did find that Biden was increasingly ‘throat clearing’ and coughing during public events. O’Connor stated that Biden had long cleared his throat or coughed during speaking engagements, but such coughing or throat clearing ‘certainly seem more frequent and more pronounced over the last few months.’ 

O’Connor said gastroesophageal reflux was likely the culprit behind Biden’s coughing after conducting multiple lung, oxygen and biological tests. 

The report also noted that Biden’s gait had become noticeably more stiff, which the doctor said required a ‘detailed investigation.’ The stiffened gait was attributed to Biden’s wear and tear on his spine and mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet, which O’Connor said could be addressed with physical therapy and exercise. 

2023 

O’Connor released details on Biden’s second physical as president on Feb. 16, 2023, roughly 15 months after the release of his first presidential physical. The delay between the health assessments was attributed to the president’s busy schedule. 

Biden was notably also diagnosed with COVID-19 in July 2022 during the interim period of his first and second physicals. Biden was reported to have mild symptoms that July and was treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid. 

The February 2023 physical report found that Biden was in good health and ‘fit’ to serve as president. 

‘President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,’ O’Connor wrote in his 2023 health memo.

The report found that Biden’s gait had remained stiff since his last physical, though the issue had not worsened. The report overall found that his heart, lungs, eyes and teeth were all in good health. 

Biden underwent routine skin cancer surveillance, which found a small lesion on the president’s chest that required biopsy. The lesion was removed just a couple of weeks later without issue, a follow-up memo from O’Connor states. 

‘As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,’ Biden’s doctor wrote in a memo after the lesion was removed. ‘All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. The area around the biopsy site was treated presumptively with electrodessication and curettage at the time of biopsy. No further treatment is required.’ 

The 2023 physical health report also provided updates on Biden’s COVID-19 recovery, which the White House doctor said went smoothly in part due to Biden receiving the coronavirus vaccine and two booster shots before the infection. 

2024 

The report on Biden’s final physical examination as president was released Feb. 28, 2024 and again found the president in good health and able to serve as president. 

‘President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,’ the most recent memo stated. 

Again, vital organs such as the heart and eyes received a clean bill of health, while Biden’s stiff gait did not worsen in the interim since 2023, though the doctor noted ‘arthritic changes’ that were moderate to severe. 

O’Connor reported that he conducted a neurological exam and determined that no cerebral or neurological issues were compounding the president’s stiff gait. The test did support previous findings of peripheral neuropathy of the feet, the report stated. 

The 2024 physical additionally noted that the lesion removed from Biden’s chest the year prior needed no additional treatment, as basal cell carcinoma typically does not metastasize. 

The report added that Biden had been using a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine when sleeping after he showed symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. The president had previously reported similar symptoms in 2008 and 2019, O’Connor stated, but that they subsided after sinus and nasal passage surgeries before his presidency.

He also underwent a root canal that year with no complications. 

Who is Dr. O’Connor? 

Dr. O’Connor has overseen Biden’s health since 2009 and built a close relationship with the president and his family, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

‘I have never had a better commander than Joe Biden,’ O’Connor said in a profile interview with his alma mater, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, when Biden served as vice president. ‘All politics aside, he approaches his craft with such honor. He’s 100 percent ‘family first.’ He’s ‘genuinely genuine.’’

O’Connor overwhelmingly remained out of the spotlight during Biden’s tenure until the spring of 2024, when speculation mounted among both conservatives and Democrats that the president’s mental acuity was slipping, with pundits and the media subsequently demanding to hear directly from O’Connor on the state of Biden’s health. 

The White House physician is affectionately known to Biden and his family simply as ‘Doc,’ and was requested by Biden in 2009 to stay on as his physician after serving in the White House Medical Unit under the President George W. Bush administration, according to the profile. 

O’Connor was first appointed to the White House Medical Unit in 2006 for what was intended to be a three-year military assignment, according to his profile published by the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, from which he graduated in 1992. 

Instead, ‘Vice President Biden asked O’Connor to stay on,’ the profile continues. 

O’Connor complied, marking the beginning of their doctor-patient relationship that has reportedly evolved into a close relationship with the president’s large family. 

Biden’s 2017 memoir, ‘Promise Me, Dad,’ features the president reflecting on his close relationship with ‘Doc,’ including O’Connor joining the family on their annual vacation to Massachusetts’ Nantucket in his capacity as the White House physician and balking at the family’s ‘browsing extravaganza’ on the island. The White House medical unit always travels with a president to best protect his health and safety.  

The physician’s relationship with the family seemingly grew closer, according to the memoir, when the president’s son, Beau Biden, was diagnosed with brain cancer — which ultimately claimed his life in 2015. 

‘Doc was good with Beau, who was still trying to get his bearings in those first few days. Real fear was starting to creep in. Sometimes Beau would grab him when everybody else was out of earshot to get his honest assessment,’ Biden wrote in the memoir. 

‘‘Whatever it is, this is bad,’ he told Beau, ‘but we’re gonna find out what it is. And once we find out what it is, we will have a plan.’’ 

‘‘Promise?’ Beau asked.’

‘‘Promise.’’ 

In another excerpt, Beau Biden requested O’Connor ‘promise’ to take care of his father if he should die. 

‘‘Seriously, Doc. No matter what happens,” Beau Biden said to O’Connor, according to the book. ‘’Take care of Pop. For real. Promise me. For real.’’

Back in 2018, Joe Biden’s sister-in-law, Sara Biden, described O’Connor as a ‘friend’ who provided medical advice to members of the Biden family beyond the eventual commander in chief. 

‘Colonel O’Connor was actually a friend and he — we would frequently ask for his recommendations if any of us had a medical issue, so it was not uncommon to ask him if he had a recommendation,’ she said in a deposition related to a New York state medical malpractice case involving her daughter, Fox News previously reported. 

The state of Biden’s health now?

Biden’s office announced May 18 that the former president had been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive form’ of prostate cancer, which set off concern that such a cancer should have been discovered sooner. 

‘Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,’ Biden’s team shared in a statement. ‘On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.’ 

‘While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,’ the statement said. ‘The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.’ 

Physicians have remarked that they are ‘shocked’ that the cancer had not been discovered sooner. 

‘Thank God they found it. (Biden is) a fighter. He’s been through a tremendous amount in his life… with his son, with (his) wife, with (his) daughter,’ Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said May 19. ‘Two aneurysms, atrial fibrillation. He’s been through a lot health-wise, but I am absolutely shocked that they didn’t find this earlier.’ 

A spokesperson for Biden confirmed to Fox News on May 20 that Biden’s last known prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which screens a patient for prostate cancer, was conducted in 2014. 

‘President Biden’s last known PSA was in 2014,’ a Biden spokesperson told Fox News. ‘Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer.’ 

Biden posted to X on May 19 in his first message since publicly revealing the diagnosis to thank supporters. 

‘Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,’ Biden wrote on X, accompanied by a photo with former first lady Jill Biden. ‘Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.’ 

Romanian populist Calin Georgescu announced his retirement from politics after being barred from running in the country’s presidential election rerun this month. 

The decision comes after Georgescu ran for president late last year and emerged victorious in the first round of voting. However, a top Romanian court then annulled the result after allegations emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference. Georgescu was later banned from participating in this month’s contest, which was won by pro-European Union candidate Nicusor Dan. 

‘I choose to be a passive observer of public and social life,’ the 63-year-old Georgescu said in a video posted online late Monday. ‘I choose to remain outside any political party structure … I am not affiliated with any political group in any way.’ 

Georgescu – who ran as an independent in November – said he made his decision to take a step back following the conclusion of the presidential race, which for him indicated ‘the sovereignist movement has come to a close.’ 

‘Even though this political chapter has ended, I am convinced that the values and ideals we fought for together remain steadfast,’ he added. ‘My dear ones, I have always said that we would make history, not politics.’ 

In February, prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against Georgescu, accusing him of incitement to undermine the constitutional order, election campaign funding abuses, and founding or supporting fascist, racist, xenophobic, or antisemitic organizations, among other charges. On Tuesday, he was due to appear at the prosecutor’s office in Bucharest. 

Despite what appeared to be a sprawling social media campaign promoting him, Georgescu had declared zero campaign spending in last year’s contest. A Romanian court then made the unprecedented move to annul the election. 

‘This December, Romania straight up canceled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors,’ Vice President JD Vance said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February. 

‘Now, as I understand it, the argument was that Russian disinformation had infected the Romanian elections, but I’d ask my European friends to have some perspective. You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do. You can condemn it on the world stage even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with,’ Vance added. 

Georgescu sparked controversy for describing Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes, according to the Associated Press. He has also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past as ‘a man who loves his country’ and has questioned Ukraine’s statehood, but he claims not to be pro-Russian. 

Georgescu has argued the election was ‘canceled illegally and unconstitutionally,’ and after he was barred from the May rerun, he accused the authorities of ‘inventing evidence to justify the theft’ of the elections. 

Earlier this year, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bucharest in a show of support for Georgescu. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A great deal of mirth and ribbing has been directed at CNN’s Jake Tapper in recent days over his co-authoring of a tell-all blockbuster book about how awful he and his colleagues are at their jobs.

But last week, during one of his approximately 27 million TV appearances to hawk, ‘Original Sin,’ the book on the Biden administration’s lies that he dashed off with Axios’ Alex Thompson as soon as the 2024 election was over, Tapper said something that was so close to really understanding his subject and his job that it almost hurt.

Appearing on CBS News, Tapper said, ‘So, there were people reporting on what they saw. The conservative media was, to their credit, all over this. Now, they didn’t have insider information, but they were just making sense of all the clips, and all of the weird moments, and off-putting moments.’

What Tapper misses here is that conservative media didn’t get it right in regard to Joe Biden’s obvious and abject unfitness for office in spite of not having insider information, they got it right because they were not relying on insider information.

In Tapper’s twisted view of journalism, and it is one widely shared, the evidence we see with our own eyes is not sufficient. Instead, it isn’t news until some whistleblower spills the beans, which puts all the power in the hands of sources.

Since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, everything has to be a Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein-style scoop. A story isn’t real without some turncoat in the administration, even though they, too, have agendas.

Obviously, the big problem here is that all of Tapper and Thompson’s sources spent years deceiving them and the American people, but now, suddenly, we are expected to believe everything these same serial liars say.

Sorry. Not happening. 

Let’s take the tempting tale being spun by Tapper and Thompson now that it was actually first son Hunter Biden who was running the show. It’s delicious, maybe the crack-addled Burisma executive really is the smartest man Joe ever met. The artist behind the curtain.

However, and call me a cynic if you will, this particular version of events just so happens to be the one that paints Tapper and Thompson’s insider sources in the best possible light.

Basically, what these insiders are saying is, ‘Man, we really tried to do the right thing, but that Hunter, he just blocked us at every chance, which is too bad because he has a pardon for anything he did with the autopen now, but what can you do?’

And once again, Tapper and Thompson just eagerly write it all down as if they were standing atop Mt. Sinai taking dictation of the Ten Commandments from God.

The bottom line is that even if you are a generous soul inclined to trust Tapper and Thompson, only a fool would trust their insider sources. So honestly, what is the point of even reading the book?

This speaks to a much deeper problem with journalism which tends to frame all political coverage as a government that is lying and intrepid reporters sussing out the actual truth when that is almost never what actually happens.

Instead, these journalists confuse sourcing with access, so all their ‘sources’ are people advancing their agenda. Now, suddenly, the agenda is to pile on Biden and salvage our reputations (for media AND insiders). 

George Orwell said, ‘Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.’

Tapper and Thompson have both been doing a lot of PR for Democrats for a very long time.

A source, especially an anonymous source, is almost by definition only telling a reporter something they want the reporter to print. It can sometimes be helpful, but it is never the whole story.

The hilarious final twist in all of this is that in Donald Trump, we have a president who takes more questions than the average corporate call center and owns everything the press accuses him of from sending migrants to El Salvadoran jails to holding Crypto Balls at his resort. It’s all just out in the open.

The age of post-Watergate ‘gotcha’ journalism has driven the industry off of a cliff. Nobody believes what journalists say because they are just mouthpieces for those in power.

The primary job of the journalist isn’t to pry out some hidden information being kept from people; They aren’t detectives. It is to accurately report on and analyze what we know is happening.

In that regard, the coverage of Joe Biden’s decline, his clear inability to serve, is arguably the worst journalism that ever been attempted. Tapper and Thompson couldn’t see what was right in front of their face because they were convinced there had to be something deeper, something hidden. 

It is time to turn the page and get back to a journalism that deals in reality, not speculation. Until that happens, Americans have no reason to believe anything the Jake Tappers and Alex Thompsons of the world tell them.

It was hard to concentrate in my congressional office because I could overhear a lively interview with conservative media host Glenn Beck through the thin wall. You might assume I work for a Republican, but I’m chief of staff to progressive California Congressman Ro Khanna.

What if I told you it was one of our best interviews in recent months? 

They disagreed on President Trump’s deportation efforts and USAID funding, but they agreed on revitalizing manufacturing and leading against China. The headline for the interview read, ‘Progressive Democrat sits down with Glenn Beck despite disagreements: ‘We’re all Team America.’’ We agreed he’d return soon.

There’s debate about whether Democrats need a stronger message or more robust left-wing media. But what Democrats really need is to relearn the art of persuasion—not just crafting a compelling message, but figuring out how to make it cut through today’s crowded media landscape.

Democrats don’t need a ‘left-wing Joe Rogan.’ We need to persuade the real one, along with Americans nationwide, that we share common ground and are worth supporting. 

I know it’s possible because I saw Ro begin that process with Glenn Beck. They didn’t agree on everything, but the conversation opened a door. That’s persuasion: not instant conversion, but showing up, listening, and finding places to start.

Our leaders are too often surrounded by chattering consultants obsessed with poll-tested messages and terrified of ruffling feathers. Every morning, I get dozens of emails urging me to tell Americans that MAGA Republicans are trying to take away their healthcare. I believe it! But it takes more than one line to convince people. We need specifics, facts, and a clear vision of what Democrats stand for.

Ro has been building this foundation for years. He’s traveled to dozens of states, partnering with Silicon Valley to expand tech opportunities, and since the election, held town halls in Republican districts—not to preach, but to listen. At a recent Allentown, Pennsylvania, event, Ro spoke with the Trump supporters protesting outside about his bipartisan bill to lower prescription drug costs. By the end, they came inside—and applauded. 

Having a message is just the first step. The next challenge is breaking through today’s media ecosystem—can it go viral on social media, get picked up by the press, or reach broader audiences, and still land? Amplification matters equally.

It’s undeniable that Republicans have invested significantly more time and resources into building a powerful online ecosystem to reach voters. To overcome that right now, Democrats need to be fearless. Flood the zone, reach people where they are, win them over. Download TikTok, hire a talented, chronically online 22-year-old to post on subreddits, and create a Substack. Talk to Mehdi Hasan in the morning and Laura Ingraham in the evening. Write an op-ed for Fox News Digital.

It’s not about giving anyone a platform or legitimacy—their platforms already exist, and their audiences view them as legitimate. It’s about using those platforms to share our message and tailoring how we communicate to different audiences without compromising our values.

We also need to balance between viral moments with nuanced messages about complicated issues. Ro’s prescription drug bill has gained traction on X and Reddit. But his core vision—a new economic patriotism focused on 21st century solutions for the economic success of every community including new factories and AI academies—hasn’t taken off online the same way. Yet, in longer-form interviews and podcasts, it’s met with enthusiasm. Both messages matter, and we need to find the right time and place for each.

After all, Joe Rogan supported Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential election. When he drifted toward Donald Trump, we shrugged and said he was gone for good. Why not try again with a tailored message and an eye toward persuasion? 

Joe, if you’re reading this, I have a pitch for you. 

President Donald Trump told journalists that he was ‘not happy’ with Russia’s recent large-scale strike against Ukraine while speaking to the press on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey, Trump accused Putin of ‘killing a lot of people’ in the attack, which was launched on Sunday afternoon.

‘I’m not happy with what Putin is doing,’ Trump explained. ‘He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.’ 

‘I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,’ he added.

Trump said that Putin was ‘shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities’ in the middle of negotiations.

‘I don’t like what Putin is doing. Not even a little bit,’ the president emphasized. ‘He’s killing people. And something happened to this guy.’

Trump’s comments came after Russian forces launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight. The attack, which has been called the largest aerial attack of the war so far, targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Ukrainian officials said that at least 12 people were killed and dozens more were injured.

Though past strikes have proven more deadly, the attack is the largest-scale aerial assault of the war in terms of the number of weapons: 298 drones and 69 missiles were launched.

In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for an international response to the attack.

‘The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin,’ he wrote on Telegram. ‘Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia.’

Reuters and Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto and Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump backed several House Republicans for reelection in Truth Social posts on Sunday, expressing support for Reps. Andrew Garbarino of New York, Troy Downing of Montana, Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, and Bryan Steil of Wisconsin.

Each lawmaker received an individual post from Trump, and each post declared that the given lawmaker has Trump’s endorsement.

Republicans currently hold the majority in the House, but the 2026 midterms will determine whether the GOP maintains control of the chamber during the tail end of Trump’s second term in office.

Trump’s show of support for Garbarino comes after the congressman failed to cast a vote on the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ that passed the House last week. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson said that ‘Garbarino did not make it in time,’ but had fallen asleep.

‘I am proud to have been the leading voice on Long Island during negotiations on this key reconciliation bill. I fought to lift the cap on SALT and ensure hardworking Long Island families see the benefits of this important legislation. I was moments away from the House floor, to vote ‘yes,’ when the vote was closed,’ Garbarino said in a statement, according to reports. 

‘While I am frustrated that the vote was closed before I was able to cast my vote, I am proud of the work we accomplished to deliver huge results for Long Island. I congratulate President Trump on getting this bill passed and look forward to voting ‘yes’ when it comes back to the House floor from the Senate,’ Garbarino noted.

Fox News Digital reached out to Garbarino’s office on Monday morning but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

‘Thank you, Mr. President, it’s an honor to serve NY-02,’ Garbarino said in a Sunday night post on X in response to the president’s endorsment.

Despite assurances from Trump administration officials that farmers will not be impacted by its attempts to reduce environmental chemical exposure from foods, agricultural leaders have been expressing concern that the move will explode costs for farmers and more than double the cost of food. 

The administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, made up of many of President Donald Trump’s political appointees and closest policy advisors, released an assessment strategizing how they will tackle childhood chronic diseases, such as obesity and mental health challenges. Part of the report’s focus is on children’s chemical exposure from our foods, which the report says is linked to developmental issues and chronic diseases.   

Amid the report’s release, farm groups have expressed concern over the MAHA agenda’s focus on pesticides. They have said that if the administration starts clamping down on widely used pesticides, crop yields would decline, input costs would surge and food costs would more than double.

‘Farmers are already facing a host of challenges—uncertainty about their access to critical crop protection products shouldn’t be added to the list,’ said Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Executive Director of the Modern Ag Alliance. ‘Crop protection tools are not only safe, they are essential to food security, affordability, and the survival of family farms all across this country. Losing access to these critical inputs would be a devastating setback to American agriculture.’

Officials from the MAHA Commission sought to reassure farmers at an event releasing their assessment on childhood chronic diseases on Thursday. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that ‘at the center’ of the MAHA agenda is ‘making American agriculture great again.’

‘We love our farmers, and we want to pay respect to our farmers. And we always will,’ President Trump added at the Thursday event from the White House. ‘We won the farmers by a lot in the election, and every election, all three elections – and we won by a lot. I will never forget that. And they are foremost in our thought.’

But some farmers are still expressing concern.

‘The Make America Healthy Again Report is filled with fear-based rather than science-based information about pesticides. We are deeply troubled that claims of this magnitude are being made without any scientific basis or regard for a long history of EPA expert evaluations of these products,’ the National Corn Grower’s Alliance (NCGA) said. ‘We call on the administration to respect the existing body of science on pesticides and, moving forward, to include America’s farmers in discussion as this process evolves.’ 

According to a statement put out by the Modern Ag Alliance, pesticides are ‘rigorously tested’ by the federal government, noting that in the case of glyphosate – mentioned multiple times in the MAHA report – it is one of the most thoroughly studied pesticides of its kind. 

They said that if the MAHA report drives future policy decisions it would hurt farmers and more than double the cost of food.

‘Without glyphosate—the most widely used weed-fighting tool by U.S. farmers—crop yields would decline, input costs would surge by 150%, and food inflation would more than double,’ the group said. ‘When Sri Lanka prohibited the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in 2021, crop yields fell by over 50%, forcing the government to import massive amounts of food just to meet basic needs. We should be focused on moving American agriculture—and the country—forward.’

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been a vocal opponent against the dangerous health impacts of under-regulated pesticides even before he was the MAHA Commission’s leader, said last week in a Senate hearing that ‘we cannot take any step that will put a single farmer in this country out of business.’

‘There’s a million farmers who rely on glyphosate,’ he said. ‘100% of corn in this country relies on glyphosate. We are not going to do anything to jeopardize that business model.’ 

The MAHA report reiterates the economic importance of protecting farmers, but it also lists glyphosate in an infographic of ‘Chemical Classes and Common Exposure Pathways’ and says research studies have shown it can cause a range of health effects. It also lists atrazine and other chemicals as dangerous to childhood health.   

MAHA Commission officials have said that part of the administration’s focus will be a return to the gold standard of science, but the NCGA said the focus on certain widely-used pesticides, such as atrazine and glyphosate, goes against ‘decades of extensive research and testing.’

‘If the administration’s goal is to bring more efficiency to government, then why is the secretary of Health and Human Services duplicating efforts by raising questions about pesticides that have been answered repeatedly through research and reviews by federal regulatory bodies?’ the group questioned.

Jennifer Galardi, a senior policy analyst focused on health and wellness issues at the Heritage Foundation, took a more balanced view of the MAHA commission’s strategy towards pesticides like glyphosate, noting that it appeared to thread the needle between supporting farmers and trying to ensure America’s food supply is safe and free of chemicals that could impact child health. 

‘The MAHA Commission Report seems to carefully examine competing issues in a very complex agricultural debate: the potential that crop protection tools as they’re referred to in the report may cause adverse health outcomes and the desire to protect the economic interests of farmers and the country,’ Galardi said. ‘However, everyone should agree that the companies that manufacture products such as glyphosate and GMO’s shouldn’t have undue influence over the research upon which sound policy is based. The American public should demand transparency around these decisions.’

Galardi posited that, due to the tension around the issue of pesticides, the MAHA Commission may decide to go after ‘low-hanging fruit,’ such as improving children’s diets and lack of physical activity, which, she said, are big drivers of obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

In response to this article, a USDA spokesperson sent the following statement from Secretary Rollins:

‘We must do more to improve the health outcomes of our kids and families, and President Trump knows agriculture is at the heart of the solution. America’s farmers and ranchers dedicate their lives to the noble cause of feeding their country and the world, and in doing so have created the safest and most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. We are working to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Kennedy and other members of the MAHA Commission to improve our nation’s health.’

White House spokesman Kush Desai, in a separate statement, echoed Rollins’ sentiment about the importance of agriculture and farmers when it comes to executing the MAHA mission. He also reiterated that the MAHA movement is grounded in ‘Gold Standard of Science.’

‘The guiding principle of President Trump’s movement to Make America Healthy Again is the Gold Standard of Science, and everyone from America’s farmers to everyday parents are critical for the success of this movement,’ Desai said. ‘The MAHA Commission’s report is a historic step by our government to, for the first time, comprehensively review the latest evidence and research of what we know – and what we don’t know – is driving the health crisis afflicting America’s children.’