Glyphosate: The Chemical Putting Pressure On RFK Jr.

TL;DR

Trump's executive order promoting glyphosate clashes with RFK Jr.'s anti-chemical stance, creating political tension between farmers and the MAHA coalition.

Key Points

• 1.Glyphosate is central to modern American farming. Roundup is used by farmers like Blake Hurst, who has farmed for 49 years, to replace labor, enable no-till agriculture, and prevent crop losses of 30–40% from weeds.
• 2.The EPA and global regulators do not classify glyphosate as a carcinogen. The EPA, Canada, and the EU have all found it safe, yet Bayer/Monsanto faces thousands of lawsuits alleging it causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and endocrine disruption.
• 3.Trump backed Monsanto at the Supreme Court and signed an executive order promoting glyphosate production. Using the Defense Production Act, Trump designated glyphosate a national security priority, citing Chinese threats to the U.S. food supply if the chemical became unavailable.
• 4.RFK Jr.'s anti-glyphosate history puts him in direct conflict with the administration's pro-glyphosate moves. Kennedy sued Monsanto in the 2010s, and MAHA supporters — a key voting bloc that helped Trump win — are furious, with analysts warning Republicans could lose the House and Senate in the midterms if MAHA voters stay home.