MAHA Activists Push Back Against Trump's Coal-Powered AI Data Centers Plan

MAHA activists criticize Trump for promoting coal to power energy-hungry AI data centers

NEW YORK (AP) -- Nearly 200 activists in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" movement are criticizing President Donald Trump's promotion of coal to fuel the rise of artificial intelligence data centers, according to a letter sent Friday. The letter, signed by at least two former staffers from Kennedy's 2024 presidential campaign, marks the first major MAHA movement mobilization over fossil fuels and the latest in a series of rifts between the diverse group of activists and the Trump administration over environmental policy. The letter to Trump, Kennedy and various other Cabinet officials, first obtained by The Associated Press, criticizes a 2025 executive order that aimed to boost coal to power data centers over pollution concerns and asks the administration to consider renewable options, including solar and geothermal energy. "We understand the importance of American leadership in artificial intelligence, national security, innovation, and economic growth," the letter reads. "But American AI leadership should not come at the cost of a more toxic burden for American children." The White House and the agencies receiving the letter didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Prominent MAHA figures behind the letter include Zen Honeycutt, a former Kennedy campaign staffer and founder of the advocacy group Moms Across America, and Charles Eisenstein, a former speechwriter on Kennedy's campaign. Honeycutt said she asked the Kennedy-aligned political action committee MAHA Action to sign onto the letter but did not receive a reply. Although it may not reflect the views of all MAHA activists, the new line of criticism against one of the administration's signature policies less than three months before November's midterm elections could present another challenge for Republicans as they seek to win over the voting bloc in key races. As health secretary, Kennedy has carried out several policy changes that cater to the MAHA movement, including attempting to scale back childhood vaccine recommendations, a central priority for some activists. He also has sought to remove artificial dyes from food and encouraged Americans to have healthy diets free of ultraprocessed foods. But many in the MAHA movement, which Trump credits with helping him win back the White House two years ago, say they have grown frustrated with the administration over its embrace of pesticides such as glyphosate and its deregulatory environmental agenda. Some have said they plan to vote on issues over party this fall, raising the political stakes of their increasingly public tensions with the Republican administration. As president, Trump has enthusiastically embraced what he calls "big, beautiful coal" despite outcry from environmentalists about planet-warming greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals released by coal-fired power plants. He also has been a vocal advocate for data centers, which power artificial intelligence and cloud computing, framing them as a necessary component of winning the AI race against China. "If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an AI plant or a data center," Trump said this week, "I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous." Data centers have become a political flashpoint in this year's elections. Voters across the political spectrum have criticized them for jacking up electricity bills, draining water supplies, and creating unhealthy amounts of air and noise pollution. Friday's letter asks the administration to require transparent review of data center location and power sourcing decisions, and respect existing environmental review requirements in the permitting process. Honeycutt said that after Trump's executive order last year, she researched the impact of coal ash on communities and was disturbed by what she found. She said she was also concerned about other aspects of data centers, including their land use and their effects on the people living near them. "The data center push has been an overwhelmingly negative impact on our communities, and there are many in the MAHA movement that are extremely disappointed about that," she said. "We vote for those who put health and safety first."

MAHA warns Trump against coal-powered AI data centers

* It cites coal's public health and environmental toll due to soot pollution, mercury, and byproducts called "coal ash" that contain heavy metals. The big picture: The letter signals an escalation of MAHA engagement on data centers and what's powering them. * It urges the administration to convene MAHA leaders, farmers, physicians and others to craft "health-first standards for AI infrastructure." * It says there are better energy options, citing solar paired with energy storage, advanced geothermal, and improved energy efficiency. Driving the news: The many signers of the letter include ... * Moms Across America founder Zen Honeycutt. * Charles Eisenstein, who was a speechwriter and adviser on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign. * Aimee Villella McBride, executive director of the Global Wellness Forum. * David Murphy, founder and CEO of United We Eat. In addition to President Trump, the joint letter is copied to Kennedy, Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. State of play: The Trump administration is moving on multiple fronts to boost coal-fired power, often citing AI power demand among the reasons. * An April 2025 executive order calls coal "critical" to meeting rising power demand from data centers and other needs. * The Energy Department has announced hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to retain and even expand coal-fired power. What they're saying: The rise of data centers and what's fueling them is a new area of interest for Moms Across America and many in the MAHA movement, Honeycutt said, though she cautions she doesn't speak for the whole movement. * "MAHA is not just about ... getting pesticides out of our food, or having vaccines be safe. We're about not having toxins impact the health of our families and our communities and farmers," she said in an interview. * "This is a an extremely important issue that is emerging in a new way for the MAHA movement," she said. Catch up quick: The letter arrives as data centers face a growing backlash, and politicians from both parties are floating new restrictions on the industry. The bottom line: The U.S. can lead on AI, energy, and security "without asking children to carry more mercury in their bodies, more soot in their lungs, more heavy metals in their soil and food, or more contamination in their water," the letter states.

MAHA Activists Urge Trump Against Promoting Coal to Power Energy-Hungry AI Data Centers

NEW YORK (AP) -- Nearly 200 activists in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" movement are criticizing President Donald Trump's promotion of coal to fuel the rise of artificial intelligence data centers, according to a letter sent Friday. The letter, signed by at least two former staffers from Kennedy's 2024 presidential campaign, marks the first major MAHA movement mobilization over fossil fuels and the latest in a series of rifts between the diverse group of activists and the Trump administration over environmental policy. The letter to Trump, Kennedy and various other Cabinet officials, first obtained by The Associated Press, laments a 2025 executive order that aimed to boost coal to power data centers over pollution concerns and asks the administration to consider renewable options, including solar and geothermal energy. "We understand the importance of American leadership in artificial intelligence, national security, innovation, and economic growth," the letter reads. "But American AI leadership should not come at the cost of a more toxic burden for American children." The White House and the agencies receiving the letter didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Prominent MAHA figures behind the letter include Zen Honeycutt, a former Kennedy campaign staffer and founder of the advocacy group Moms Across America, and Charles Eisenstein, a former speechwriter on Kennedy's campaign. Honeycutt said she asked the Kennedy-aligned political action committee MAHA Action to sign onto the letter but did not receive a reply. Although it may not reflect the views of all MAHA activists, the new line of criticism against one of the administration's signature policies less than three months before November's midterm elections could present another challenge for Republicans as they seek to win over the voting bloc in key races. As health secretary, Kennedy has carried out several policy changes that cater to the MAHA movement, including attempting to scale back childhood vaccine recommendations, a central priority for some activists. He also has sought to remove artificial dyes from food and encouraged Americans to have healthy diets free of ultraprocessed foods. But many in the MAHA movement, which Trump credits with helping him win back the White House two years ago, say they have grown frustrated with the administration over its embrace of pesticides such as glyphosate and its deregulatory environmental agenda. Some have said they plan to vote on issues over party this fall, raising the political stakes of their increasingly public tensions with the Republican administration. As president, Trump has enthusiastically embraced what he calls "big, beautiful coal" despite outcry from environmentalists about planet-warming greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals released by coal-fired power plants. He also has been a vocal advocate for data centers, which power artificial intelligence and cloud computing, framing them as a necessary component of winning the AI race against China. "If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an AI plant or a data center," Trump said this week, "I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous." Data centers have become a political flashpoint in this year's elections. Voters across the political spectrum have criticized them for jacking up electricity bills, draining water supplies, and creating unhealthy amounts of air and noise pollution. Friday's letter asks the administration to require transparent review of data center location and power sourcing decisions, and respect existing environmental review requirements in the permitting process. Honeycutt said that after Trump's executive order last year, she researched the impact of coal ash on communities and was disturbed by what she found. She said she was also concerned about other aspects of data centers, including their land use and their effects on the people living near them. "The data center push has been an overwhelmingly negative impact on our communities, and there are many in the MAHA movement that are extremely disappointed about that," she said. "We vote for those who put health and safety first."