Kennedy Expresses Discontent Over Trump’s Glyphosate Policy
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke candidly on “The Joe Rogan Experience” this past Friday, sharing his disappointment with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at boosting domestic glyphosate production.
During a Thursday address, White House senior adviser Curry Means described the move as “unfortunate,” and indicated that President Kennedy felt similarly disheartened. Kennedy, who has been an advocate against pesticides for many years, stated he was not “particularly happy” with the order, which he referred to as a way to “moderate” the issue.
“I’ve spent 40 years fighting pesticides. I was part of the Monsanto trial team, which won multiple times and secured an $11 billion settlement. But at the end of the day, pesticides are poison,” Kennedy remarked. “They’re designed to kill all life. It’s concerning to have them in our food, so frankly, I didn’t find it satisfying, to say the least.”
However, Kennedy also expressed some understanding towards President Trump, acknowledging the complexities of the situation. “The president didn’t create this problematic system. For decades now, federal policies and agricultural management practices have allowed for the widespread use of these harmful pesticides, especially glyphosate,” he noted. “Glyphosate has become essential to our food production system.”
He emphasized that a staggering 97% of corn in the U.S. is produced with glyphosate, and without it, the agricultural landscape would drastically change. “Sure, we could shift to organic methods, but currently that’s just about 3% of corn production. Similarly, 98% of soybeans are glyphosate-dependent. A sudden ban on glyphosate would be catastrophic for the American food system,” he added.
Trump’s executive order has sparked criticism from numerous health advocates, including some aligned with Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement. Notably, Kennedy has raised concerns about glyphosate even prior to his role as HHS Secretary. He mentioned in a June 2024 social media post that he considers glyphosate “one of the likely culprits in America’s chronic disease epidemic.”
