Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Trump’s MAHA problem

Trump’s MAHA problem

Sep 04, 2025

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With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco

On today’s Playbook Podcast, Jack and POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly consider the political potency of the MAHA movement — and what it’s like to party with Nigel Farage.

Good Thursday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, hoping — like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin — to one day achieve immortality through advances in biotech. In the meantime I’ll be relying on the more traditional 4.a.m. diet of strong black coffee and silent rage to keep me going. Wish me luck!

Important question: Is someone going to ask Donald Trump if he also plans to live forever?

In today’s Playbook …

— RFK Jr. faces the music from senators over last week’s CDC purge.

— Trump to call Zelenskyy today … as another peace deadline passes.

— D.C. party night with Trump’s pal — and wannabe PM — Nigel Farage.

DRIVING THE DAY

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as President Donald Trump listens at an event to promote his proposal to improve Americans' access to their medical records in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is due before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo

IT’S RFK JR. DAY: All eyes will be on MAHA king Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this morning when he hits the Senate for a lengthy grilling. The HHS secretary is set to face a blitz of questions after last week’s dramatic purge at the CDC, which saw Director Susan Monarez ousted and other senior experts quit in protest.

At the heart of the CDC turmoil was a dispute over RFK’s skeptical view of vaccines, and you can expect plenty of questions today about where U.S. public health policy is headed — especially after Florida announced plans to end childhood vaccine mandates. The Senate Finance Committee hearing kicks off at 10 a.m. and you can follow along with POLITICO’s Inside Congress Live.

How we got here: Both Kennedy and Trump had been coming under heavy fire from parts of the Make America Healthy Again movement for their perceived lack of action on vaccine policy. But all of that changed with a recent flurry of activity including the downgrading of Covid vaccines, the purge of the CDC and this skeptical-sounding message from Trump. With an announcement on the (supposed) causes of autism also looming, MAHA types feel they’re finally getting what they voted for.

But here’s the problem for Trump. MAHA might be an important voting bloc in his coalition — but it’s also a pretty fringe movement nationwide. Polling consistently shows most Americans overwhelmingly trust vaccines and support vaccine mandates for kids. This poll by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health last month found 79 percent of Americans in favor.

Irony alert: Trump loves to gloat about Democrats putting themselves on the wrong side of an “80/20 issue.” Is he about to fall into the same trap?

Sneak preview: Kennedy sought to get ahead of the inevitable questions last night with a video setting out his position on the CDC. He said the agency had “squandered public trust,” particularly during the latter half of the Covid pandemic (the bit when Joe Biden was in charge, obviously) and vowed to “restore the CDC’s focus,” noting he had “already shaken up the leadership.” The fact it was Kennedy himself who’d picked the now-ousted leader didn’t warrant a mention.

Popcorn at the ready: None of that will stop Democratic committee members gearing up for a fight. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) has accused Kennedy of an “extremist” and “anti-science” agenda. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) accused RFK of “stupidity on steroids” in “getting rid of vaccines, getting rid of science.” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) called for Kennedy to be fired over his comments on the Minneapolis school shooting. There will be plenty more of that today.

But more important than the Democratic attacks will be any hint of GOP concern — given almost every Republican vote will be required to get Monarez’s eventual successor through the Senate. As ever, the man to watch is Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, the HELP Committee chair whose vote of confidence got RFK Jr’s own confirmation over the line. Back then, Cassidy believed he’d secured assurances from RFK about vaccine policy. Let’s see how confident he’s sounding today.

Other Rs to keep an eye on: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is stepping down next year and so has nothing to lose in going after RFK Jr. He said yesterday he would not be rushed into confirming a new CDC director. Senate Majority Leader John Thune also sounded pretty robust in speaking up in favor of candidates who support vaccines.

Now read this: POLITICO’s Jordain Carney has a look at the latest test of Cassidy’s political survival instincts. Cassidy drew Trump’s ire first when he voted to impeach over the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and has been among the loudest Republican critics of Kennedy. But an “open clash in Thursday’s hearing could complicate the efforts being undertaken by top Senate Republicans to privately urge Trump to back Cassidy” for reelection, Jordain writes. Absent Trump’s explicit backing, Cassidy and other Republicans are at least hoping that Trump will just stay on the sidelines. “Of course I prefer his endorsement, but if it’s not an endorsement, neutral is probably the next best thing,” Cassidy told Jordain.

Also worth watching: Over at the Senate Banking Committee, Trump’s pick for Federal Reserve governor, Stephen Miran, has his own nomination hearing today. This one wasn’t looking too contentious until Trump’s sudden attempt to fire another governor, Lisa Cook, last week. This hearing could produce some notable moments — not least to see whether any Republicans take the opportunity to stick up for Fed independence.

Innocent face: Miran himself was certainly eager to do so in prepared remarks released yesterday. “Independence of monetary policy is a critical element for [the central bank’s] success,” he said. “I intend to preserve that independence and serve the American people to the best of my ability.” So, nothing to see here?

The problem is … Trump already said the quiet part out loud when discussing the Fed’s board last week. “We’ll have a majority very shortly,” Trump said. “So that’ll be great. Once we have a majority, housing is going to swing … People are paying too high an interest rate. That’s the only problem with us. We have to get the rates down a little bit.”

Obviously … no one is meant to “have a majority” on the bank’s independent board.

WATCHING BRIEF: For her part, Cook insists Trump had no power to fire her anyway and has asked the courts to step in. The expectation is we’ll get an initial decision from the D.C. courts on her job status either today or tomorrow. So watch this space.

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AMERICA AND THE WORLD

VIRTUE SIGNALLING: Trump will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron this morning at the climax of a summit of Ukraine’s allies in Paris. The “coalition of the willing” — some 30-plus European nations plus Australia and Canada — will agree on post-war security guarantees for Ukraine before seeking American approval. The aim is to “send a political signal to Trump,” Reuters’ John Irish reports, with the long-promised bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin yet to materialize.

The problem: All these leaders are planning for a peace that doesn’t actually exist. Trump’s offer of another two weeks’ grace for Putin expires today, and there’s still no sign of progress. “Something is going to happen, but they are not ready yet,” Trump told CBS’ Robert Costa in a late-night phone call last night. “We are going to get it done.” But how?

The view from Moscow: Putin told reporters while in Beijing yesterday that he is, in fact, willing to meet with Zelenskyy — but only in Moscow, CNN’s Anna Chernova and Christian Edwards report. Unsurprisingly, this is a nonstarter for Zelenskyy.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER: Secretary of State Marco Rubio will round out his mission to Mexico and Ecuador today — a trip now completely overshadowed by America’s lethal air strike on a boat in the Caribbean, which the Trump administration linked to Venezuelan drug traffickers, NYT’s Edward Wong reports. Rubio confirmed to reporters yesterday the U.S. could have intercepted the boat, but that Trump gave the order to blow it up instead to send a message, WaPo’s John Hudson and colleagues write.

The bigger picture, as Rubio captures it, is a full-throttle campaign against Venezuela’s cartels. But as of yesterday, the Pentagon was still figuring out “legal authority they would tell the public was used to back up the extraordinary strike in international waters,” NYT’s Eric Schmitt and colleagues write. Some analysts were seeking evidence the boat had any links to drug trafficking at all. It all makes for a pretty murky legal situation for the administration — though they’re every bit as bullish as you’d expect.

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INSIDE 1600 PENN

FRIEND REQUEST: Trump is hosting a who’s who of tech and business leaders tonight in the first event at the White House’s newly renovated Rose Garden, The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Brett Samuels scooped. “The Rose Garden Club,” as Trump is calling it, has been paved and adorned with new tables and now looks conspicuously like the terrace at Mar-a-Lago.

Among the invited CEOs: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Oracle CEO Safra Catz and more. Not on the list: Elon Musk.

ON TRUMP’S MIND TODAY: Where to send the National Guard next. Trump appeared to U-turn on Chicago yesterday (“We’re pretty much waiting until we get asked,” he said) and floated sending troops to New Orleans instead, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols writes. Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement that he welcomes Trump’s help, per WaPo.

STILL HANGING IN THE BALANCE: Trump’s legal battle on tariffs ramped up overnight as the administration asked the Supreme Court to rule quickly to affirm Trump’s sweeping authority to enact the levies, per AP’s Lindsay Whitehurst. It puts yet another of Trump’s flagship policies in the hands of the high court, with the administration asking the justices to hear arguments in early November.

Last-ditch effort: Trump’s argument to the court is that losing his tariff powers will spell “total disaster” for the U.S. — what POLITICO’s Ankush Khardori calls the “Chicken Little Defense” in his latest column this morning. “The most charitable interpretation of the effort is that the administration is lobbying the Supreme Court to engage in the sort of outcome-driven judicial activism that conservatives have long claimed to hate. A less generous read of the situation is that this is an effort to politically blackmail the court into giving Trump what he wants even if it is clearly unlawful or unconstitutional.”

Playbook isn’t just a read — it’s a daily listen. Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns bring unmatched reporting and analysis on the power plays shaping Trump’s Washington. Hear the latest now.

TRAIL MIX

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — State of play: Sabato’s Crystal Ball is changing its predictions for three closely watched gubernatorial races in 2025 and 2026. Virginia’s race this November moves from “leans Democratic” to “likely Democratic,” which will be welcome news for Abigail Spanberger. Meanwhile, next year’s open-seat races in Iowa and Maine have both become more competitive: Iowa moves from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican,” and Maine’s goes from “likely Democratic” to “leans Democratic.” More from Sabato's Crystal Ball's Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman

— On the numbers: Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti raised more than $225,000 in the first 48 hours since launching her campaign to unseat Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.). The early numbers, shared first with Playbook, are coupled with over a million views of her campaign launch video.

— Hot on the left: Graham Platner, the Maine oysterman seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, has notched a second endorsement from a key progressive in Congress: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). “Americans are tired of an establishment that puts billionaires over ordinary people,” Khanna tells Playbook, sounding a similar note as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who recently campaigned with Platner. “We need new leaders like Graham who will fight for universal healthcare, affordable housing, and have the courage to speak out against endless wars and the atrocities in Gaza.”

— On the push for Abundance: A new memo from a progressive think tank and Democratic strategists shared first with POLITICO’s Elena Schneider argues that populism is a more effective message than the new “Abundance” framework. Behind the memo are veterans of Kamala Harris’ campaign, Geoff Garin and Brian Fallon, along with the liberal economic group Groundwork Collaborative. The memo states that “though some voters believe excessive bureaucracy can be a problem, it ranks far behind other concerns.”

HE’S RUNNING: North Carolina Republican state Sen. Bobby Hanig is mounting a bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Don Davis, per AP. He’ll face off first against Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson, who has also filed to run in the GOP primary.

GUESS WHO’S BACK? Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) is preparing to launch a comeback bid, Axios’ Kate Santaliz reports. Cawthorn, who served one tumultuous term in the House before losing the primary in his reelection bid, is looking to run in Florida, eyeing entry into the crowded GOP field vying to succeed Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.

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BEST OF THE REST

ON THE HILL: After survivors of Jeffrey Epstein signaled that they could put together their own alleged “client list” of Epstein’s inner circle, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) warned the survivors could be sued for “naming names.” Instead, Massie says he and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) are “willing to name names in the House of Representatives under Constitutional ‘speech or debate’ immunity.” That would be quite a moment.

Where things stand: With the White House turning the screws on members, Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) discharge petition demanding the release of the files is still short of the numbers it needs. Greene said yesterday on “Real America’s Voice” that she got “phone call after phone call” from the White House urging her not to back the discharge petition, per NBC’s Melanie Zanona.

SEEING CRIMSON: “Judge Hands Victory to Harvard in Funding Lawsuit, Ruling Trump Administration’s Freeze Unconstitutional,” by the Harvard Crimson’s Dhruv Patel and colleagues: “A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated the Constitution when it froze more than $2.6 billion in research funding to Harvard, striking down the freeze in its entirety and delivering the University a major legal victory.”

THE HUD SUCKER PROXY: The position that NYC Mayor Eric Adams has been offered by the Trump administration to bow out of the NYC mayoral race — part of an effort to boost Andrew Cuomo’s chances against Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani — is one in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, POLITICO’s Nick Reisman and colleagues scooped. But Adams’ campaign said he’s not dropping out, per AP’s Jake Offenhartz and Anthony Izaguirre.

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TALK OF THE TOWN

BRITPACK INVASION: Quite the scene at Ned’s Club last night, where Brexit agitator — and, maybe, future prime minister — Nigel Farage was the star turn at a party for his upstart British conservative TV channel, GB News. More than 500 guests crowded in for speeches, cocktails and champagne — among them, some of the Trump administration’s biggest hitters — to celebrate the launch of the channel’s D.C. bureau.

Friends in high places: It was striking to see the White House throw its full weight behind the event, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick both delivering speeches and with multiple Cabinet members in attendance. Farage had visited Trump in the Oval Office earlier in the day, and while the two men have been friends for years, it’s evident a powerful new transatlantic alliance is cooking. Farage believes it can help propel him all the way to No. 10 Downing Street, via his high-flying Reform UK party.

MAGA synergy: “I think the Brexit result [in June 2016] directly led to much of the momentum that got Trump to win in 2016,” Farage told the MAGA-friendly crowd. “And now, I think it bounces back the other way. Your success in 2024 bounces back on us — gives us hope that things can, will and indeed must change.”

Britain’s Fox News? As Britain’s only conservative news channel, GB News — which pays Farage more than $1.5 million a year to host a nightly show — will have a big part to play. Last night its top executives appealed to the MAGA big-hitters in the room to bring their message onto the network and help drive political change in the U.K. “You are an inspiration,” GB News co-owner Paul Marshall told the MAGA crowd. “We need you to come and save us … You are making America great again. We need to make Britain great again.” With Farage surging in the polls, it’s one to watch.

SPOTTED: Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Mike Waltz, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Kari Lake, Heather Podesta, Steven Cheung, Miki and Wes Bowman, Mary Louise Kelly, Daniel Yergin, Angela Stent, Ed Roman, Jack Posobiec, Romanian Ambassador Andrei Muraru, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Senay Bulbul, Bev Turner, Ben Leo, Ben Briscoe, Vince Haley, Molly Ball, Joe Bartlett, Teresa Carlson, Christopher Hope, Mick Booker, Erica Richardson, Alan McCormick, Sebastian Gorka, Deborah Lehr, Peter Cherukuri, Jason Miller, Katy Balls, Matt Gorman, Marlene Colucci, Frank Fannon, Sonny Joy Nelson, James Hohmann, Tyler Pager, Shawn McCreesh, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Jonathan Kott, Victoria Coates, Kristi Rogers, James Pinkerton, Rhonda Bentz, Steve Clemons, Felicia Schwartz, Christina Sevilla, Josh Dawsey, Meridith McGraw and Rachael Bade.

OUT AND ABOUT — NOTUS hosted a “Welcome Back, DC” cocktail reception last night with CVS Health at the Hotel Monaco. SPOTTED: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Reps. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) and Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Joe Crowley, Robert Allbritton, Tim Grieve, Arielle Elliott, Josh Dawsey, Jonathan Kott, Josh Eastright, Julie Mason, Sam Feist, Jeff Zeleny, Jasmine Wright, Evan McMorris-Santoro, Tammy Haddad, Jill Zuckman, Amy Rosenbaum, Scott Mulhauser, DJ Judd, Carly Spraggins, Byron Tau, Courtney Flantzner, Melodie Thomas, Michael Kikukawa, Rodericka Applewhaite, Justin Peligri, Brad Bosserman, Jeff Zubricki, Gary Nuzzi, Bryn McCarthy, Kate Meissner, Chanse Jones, Mitchell Rivard, Kadia Goba, Richard Just, Daniella Diaz, Reese Gorman, Riley Rogerson, Oriana González, Michael Tubman, Michael Moroney, Francesca Chambers, Neil Grace, Kristen Hawn and Kate Frischmann.

— SPOTTED last night at the General Catalyst Institute's one-year anniversary reception at Butterworth's: Teresa Carlson, Tammy Haddad, Steve Clemons, Sam Feist, Maryam Mujica, Ben Brody, Cyrus Artz, Olivia Beavers, Peter Nonis, Charles Cogar, Patrick Witt, Neil Brown, Juleanna Glover, Jonathan Clifford, Charlotte Rock, Cathy Merrill, James Rockas, Alex Allaire, Evangelos Razis, Daniella Cheslow, Machalagh Carr, Roxanna Gapstur, Stuart Jones, Mike Moroney, David Bray and Chris Maneval.

MEDIAWATCH — Paramount is reportedly close to a deal to acquire Bari Weiss’ publication The Free Press and slot Weiss into a top leadership role at CBS News, Puck’s Dylan Byers scooped.

POLITICO NEWS — As Carrie Budoff Brown rejoins the POLITICO fold on Sept. 9 as executive editor and EVP in Brussels, there’s a slate of fresh changes taking place: Zoya Sheftalovich is taking over as chief EU correspondent this fall; Brussels Playbook is getting a new author, with Gerardo Fortuna joining Sarah Wheaton and Nicholas Vinocur at the helm; Allison Hoffman steps in as transatlantic editor; Gavin Sundwall joins the comms team and Stephen Fidler joins the global standards team. Read the full announcement

MEDIA MOVES — Tanner Nau is joining The Free Press as an editorial fellow in the D.C. bureau. … Mini Racker is now a D.C. correspondent for The Nevada Independent. She previously was a politics reporter at The Daily Beast.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Center for American Progress is bringing on three Biden White House alums: Viviann Anguiano, previously director of education on the Domestic Policy Council, is joining as managing director of education policy; Chad Maisel, formerly an economic policy adviser, is joining as a senior fellow for economic policy; and Christen Linke Young, previously a deputy assistant to the president for health and veteran affairs, is joining the health policy team.

— James Nycz is now the deputy press secretary for Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats. He was previously a special assistant in the Bureau of Global Public Affairs at the State Department.

TRANSITIONS — Andrew Gentin is joining RosettiStarr as a managing director and the firm's general counsel. He previously served as chief of the fraud section’s corporate enforcement and compliance unit at the DOJ. … Zac Rutherford, longtime chief of staff to Rep. Diana Harshbarger, is joining Crossroads Treatment Centers as VP of government affairs. … Sam Scales is joining DGI as partner. He most recently was senior adviser to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. …

… Mia Ehrenberg is now a senior spokesperson at the DNC. She most recently was at the Families Over Billionaires campaign and is a Harris campaign and Biden DHS alum. … Jazmin Kay has joined Uber’s public affairs team. She previously was a senior government and public services consultant at Deloitte and is a Pat Ryan alum. … Ted Dowd is now a partner at Perkins Coie. He previously was acting senior deputy comptroller and chief counsel of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

WEEKEND WEDDING — Daniel Alonso, staff member at the House Committee on Ways & Means, and Stephanie Lezcano, government affairs specialist at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, got married in Toledo, Spain on Labor Day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) … Zach Leighton … CRC Advisors’ Laura Schlapp … Jerry Dunleavy … POLITICO’s Dave Brown and Mickey Djuric … Victoria Coates … CBS’ Kierra Frazier … Michael McAuliff … The Washington Times’ Susan Ferrechio … Dana Gartzke … The Atlantic’s Nancy Youssef … Kelu Chao … Songbird Strategies’ Matt Sonneborn … Will Taliaferro … DoorDash’s Chad Horrell … Jared Allen … Harold Ickes … former acting CIA Director Mike Morell … Sam Dagher … former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (7-0) … Hagar Hajjar Chemali … Claire Bischoff of JPMorgan Chase … Kim Wehle … Lisa Bianco … Emily Armstrong of Rep. Jahana Hayes’ (D-Conn.) office … Victoria (Cram) Hood … Anu Rangappa

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Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook included incorrect information about Marni von Wilpert’s California congressional campaign launch. Due to incorrect information provided to Playbook, it also included an incorrect attendee at a Puck event Tuesday night. And the Aug. 28 Playbook misstated who was sending California Gov. Gavin Newsom “Trump 2028” hats. It was Trump supporters.

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