Nearly 200 activists associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s “Make America Healthy Again” movement are criticizing former President Donald Trump's promotion of coal to fuel the expansion 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, represents a significant mobilization by the MAHA movement regarding fossil fuels and highlights ongoing tensions between the group's activists and the Trump administration over environmental policy.
The correspondence, which was shared with the Associated Press, expresses concern over a 2025 executive order aimed at increasing coal utilization for data centers, citing pollution worries. It urges the administration to explore renewable energy alternatives, such as solar and geothermal power.
"We understand the importance of American leadership in artificial intelligence, national security, innovation, and economic growth," the letter states. "But American AI leadership should not come at the cost of a more toxic burden for American children."
In response, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers pointed to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions to a 30-year low during Trump's first term, asserting that Trump "was given a mandate to roll back the radical climate policies that are burning a hole through taxpayers' wallets."
Prominent MAHA figures involved in the letter include Zen Honeycutt, founder of the advocacy group Moms Across America and a former Kennedy campaign staffer, and Charles Eisenstein, a former speechwriter on Kennedy's campaign. Honeycutt indicated that she requested MAHA Action, a PAC aligned with Kennedy, to co-sign the letter but did not receive a response.
While the letter may not represent the views of all MAHA activists, this new criticism of a key administration policy, less than three months before the midterm elections, could pose a challenge for Republicans seeking to attract this voting bloc in crucial races.
As Health Secretary, Kennedy has implemented policy changes catering to the MAHA movement, including efforts to reduce childhood vaccine recommendations and to remove artificial dyes from food. However, many within the MAHA movement, which Trump has credited with aiding his White House victory two years ago, have voiced frustration over the administration's support for pesticides like glyphosate and its deregulatory environmental agenda.
Trump has consistently advocated for coal, referring to it as "big, beautiful coal," despite environmentalist objections regarding planet-warming greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals emitted by coal-fired power plants. His administration has worked to reverse stricter greenhouse gas emission standards from the Biden era, which are linked to climate impacts and potential harm to children's brain development and increased heart attack rates in adults.
Trump has also been a strong proponent of data centers, essential for artificial intelligence and cloud computing, framing them as critical for maintaining an AI advantage over China. He has emphasized the economic benefits, stating, "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, 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 contentious issue in this election cycle, with critics from various political viewpoints citing concerns about rising electricity bills, depletion of water resources, and the generation of unhealthy levels of air and noise pollution.
The letter sent Friday requests that the administration mandate transparent reviews for data center locations and power sourcing decisions, and uphold existing environmental review requirements during the permitting process.
Honeycutt stated that following Trump's executive order last year, her research into the impact of coal ash on communities revealed disturbing findings. She also expressed concern about other aspects of data centers, including their land use and effects on nearby residents.
"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."