MAHA Movement Dates Back to President Trump's 2023 Campaign Policy Video: Addressing The Rise of Chronic Childhood Illnesses

Jon Bari
Oct 15, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Jan 2

Promises Made

On June 6, 2023, President Donald J. Trump released a campaign policy video, outlined the scope of childhood chronic disease crisis and demanded to know, "what is going on?" President Trump committed that if he was re-elected, he would establish a Presidential Commission to address the problem head on and find common sense solutions.

On September 9, 2025, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released the MAHA Strategy Report. At the press conference, Vince Haley, Assistant to the President, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and Executive Director of the MAHA Commission connected the timeline of events:

"The rest is history. It was only a few months later that President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. joined forces in an electrifying moment in a Phoenix, Arizona arena. It was one of the biggest moments of the campaign. And it wasn't just because Kennedys are charismatic. It was because Robert Kennedy had run a campaign of ideas. And one of the biggest ideas of Bobby Kennedy's campaign was that the country needed change and reform if we were going to protect the health of our children because the status quo was all too clearly failing our families."

Promises Kept

On November 14, 2024, President Trump nominated Kennedy to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

On February 13, 2025, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch swore Kennedy in as HHS Secretary at a ceremony in the Oval Office attended by President Trump and members of Kennedy's family.

On February 13, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14212 which established the President's Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, and its initial mission has been focused on the childhood chronic disease crisis. HHS Secretary Kennedy was named Chair of the MAHA Commission and Haley was named Executive Director of the MAHA Commission.

The Executive Order called for the MAHA Commission to issue two reports: the Make America Healthy Again Assessment Report and the follow up Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy Report. According to the Executive Order, the MAHA Strategy Report "shall address appropriately restructuring the Federal Government's response to the chronic childhood disease crisis, including by ending Federal practices that exacerbate the health crisis or unsuccessfully attempt to address it, and by adding powerful new solutions that will end childhood chronic disease."

On May 22, 2015, the Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment (MAHA Report Assessment) was released, and declared that "the health of American children is in crisis."

Among its many findings, the MAHA Report Assessment included information on food allergies and autoimmune diseases:

"Allergies are Widespread, and Autoimmune Disorders are Rising

Today, over 1 in 4 American children suffers from allergies, including seasonal allergies, eczema, and food allergies.
- Eczema (atopic dermatitis) and skin allergies increased from 7.4% of children under 18 from 1997-1999 to 12.7% from 2016-2018.
Between 1997 and 2018, childhood food‑allergy prevalence rose 88%.
Celiac disease rates have increased 5-fold in American children since the 1980s.
Rates of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn's, have increased by 25% over the last decade."

In August 2025, 12-year old Jax Bari was invited twice to meet with the MAHA Commission at the White House, and he presented his common sense solution to Make America Healthy Again for 729,000 American kids like him with Celiac Disease and food allergies.

Jax Bari and Calley Means, The White House

On August 22, 2025, Senator McCormick wrote to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary urging them to use their existing statutory authority to issue rulemaking to require the labeling of Gluten on all packaged foods in the U.S., just like Gluten must be declared on all food labels in 87 other countries. In

On September 9, 2025, the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy Report (MAHA Strategy Report) was released which provides a policy roadmap for addressing the childhood chronic disease crisis.

"Today's report outlines a bold framework to improve children's health through 128 targeted directives and strategies. This report is the result of a thorough and robust policy process that relied heavily on the input and expertise of families, farmers, doctors, industry leaders, and innovators. Our commission team met with over 120 groups at the White House, engaged MAHA Moms directly, and received countless recommendations from industry and advocates that were thoughtfully considered." -- Vince Haley

The MAHA Strategy Report includes 128 bold initiatives including one that was informed by Jax's advocacy. These policy reforms will make a meaningful difference in the lives of 3.3 million Americans with Celiac Disease, including about 729,000 children like Jax, the MAHA Kid. The MAHA Strategy Report includes language on Celiac Disease and requiring the labeling of Gluten as a food allergen:

"Food Allergies: FDA will develop guidance on diagnostics and treatments for food allergies. FDA will also make recommendations about requiring transparency in disclosures of ingredients that impact certain health conditions, such as gluten for those with Celiac disease, and other established food allergens."

Secretary Robert F Kennedy, Jr. and Jax Bari

Common Sense Solution is Actionable Now

Following the release of the MAHA Strategy Report, we are still advocating to have HHS Secretary take next steps to issue rulemaking to require the labeling of Gluten as a Major Food Allergen. This can also be done through executive action.

Transcript of Agenda 47: Addressing Rise of Chronic Childhood Illnesses, June 6, 2023

"In recent decades, there has been an unexplained and alarming growth in the prevalence of chronic illnesses and health problems, especially in children.

We've seen a stunning rise in autism, autoimmune disorders, obesity, infertility, serious allergies, and respiratory challenges. It's time to ask what is going on? Is it the food that they eat, the environment that we live in, the over prescription of certain medications? Is it the toxins and chemicals that are present in our homes?

Every year, we spend hundreds of billions of dollars to treat these chronic problems rather than looking at what is causing them in the first place. Too often, our Public Health establishment is too close to Big Pharma. They make a lot of money, Big Pharma. Big corporations and other special interests and does not want to ask the tough questions about what is happening to our children's health. If big Pharma defrauds American patients and taxpayers or puts profits above people, they must be investigated and held accountable.

When I'm back in the White House, I will establish a special Presidential commission of Independent Minds who are not bought and paid for by Big Pharma, and I will charge them with investigating what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic illnesses.

I understand Big Pharma I believe better than anybody else. I know where they're coming from and then I will ask them to publish recommendations for how every American child can have a safe and healthy childhood. This is a conversation that is long overdue and it's a conversation that American families deserve. American families must have this conversation, and they must have a leader, a President who can do something about this problem, and I will do that. Thank you." -- President Donald J. Trump