Have you ever wanted to “be part of a movement that not only aims to improve individual health but also strengthens community bonds and builds a healthier, more connected America”? Well now you can! Behold $MAHA: “the pivotal crypto token within the expansive coalition led by Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dedicated to transforming health and wellness in America.”
What is $MAHA? Is it related to the trademark application that RFK, Jr. filed (and later transferred to a buddy) to use the “Make America Healthy Again” slogan on supplements, vitamins, essential oils, vaccines and cryptocurrency? Unclear. The website does not identify any actual people involved in the operation of $MAHA, although it does feature a lot of tweets and Instagram and Tik-Tok posts featuring RFK, Jr. Also this disclaimer:
“Please be advised that MAHA Memecoin is a cryptocurrency created for entertainment purposes and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Robert F Kennedy or Donald J. Trump. While MAHA token may reference or incorporate elements related to Trump and Kennedy’s persona, image, or likeness, it does not imply any direct endorsement, partnership, or approval by Trump or Kennedy. Any resemblance or association between MAHA token and Donald J. Trump or Robert F Kennedy Jr. is purely coincidental and intended for satirical, entertainment or humorous purposes.”
So much for the movement!
Oh well, it may have already ended anyway. Since its launch in September of 2024, $MAHA coin’s value has flatlined, unable to match the staying power of rival grifts like the President’s $TRUMP coin, or the First Lady’s $MELANIA coin. Nevertheless, $MAHA’s existence, along with related phenomena such as the MAGA-MAHA Crypto Leadership Conference, suggest a philosophical kinship. Indeed, the MAHA and crypto movements share a common appeal to distrust in institutions and to extreme individualism that is worth unpacking.
The movements also share common leadership, like RFK, Jr. The Democratic presidential candidate turned Secretary of Health and Human Services is one of the first commentators in the infamous “God Bless Bitcoin” documentary, which has now garnered more than 1.2 million views. He pops up just after the two-minute mark, explaining that the U.S. under Nixon took the dollar off the gold standard to finance the Vietnam war. Thus begins an onslaught of convoluted conspiracy theories, scary music and riot footage.
The sheer hucksterism behind productions like God Bless Bitcoin and $MAHA coin make it tempting to write off crypto as a fringe industry, but with a market capitalization of over $3 trillion, the crypto sector is too big to ignore. The $MAHA coin is listed on Coinbase, a publicly traded company. Other crypto companies, such as Circle and USDC, are also publicly traded, meaning anyone with index fund investments in their 401(k) now has a stake in these schemes. And if the Trump Administration gets its way, government payments—from USAID purchases of food aid to social security checks—could come in the form of crypto “stable coins,” including the one issued by the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial.
MAHA proponents have similarly grandiose ambitions, but instead of replacing the dollar, they want to replace the healthcare system. Where the intrepid crypto entrepreneur can get rich mastering the intricacies of the blockchain, the MAHA biohacker optimizes their health by knowing which supplements to buy and which food additives to avoid. Why spend trillions on treating diseases in hospitals, they ask, when we could use the money on services and supplements for individuals to take better care of themselves? If those services and supplements happen to be supplied by the Administration’s friends, so be it.
The U.S. healthcare (really “sick care”) system is a mess, as is the food regulatory system, which has allowed private companies to put thousands of unreviewed additives into the food supply, among other scandals. MAHA enthusiasts are right to shine a spotlight on these public policy failures to protect consumers’ health from corporate predation. But while a heightened interest in personal health—and even healthy dose of skepticism towards common food ingredients—should play a role in reducing diet-related disease, let’s not kid ourselves. Rugged individualism can only take us so far.
In a renowned 2007 study, Harvard researchers analyzed health outcomes and social connections among 12,067 people assessed over more than three decades as part of the Framingham Heart Study. They found that a person’s “chances of becoming obese increased by 57% . . . if he or she had a friend who became obese in a given interval.” In the author’s words: “Our study suggests that obesity may spread in social networks in a quantifiable and discernable pattern.” In other words, obesity is contagious. And its not just obesity. Researchers have shown how social connections influence behaviors such as alcohol consumption, depression, sleep patterns and smoking.
We tend to discount the role of the people around us, and of our environment, on the decisions we make regarding our health. To some extent, this is a self-serving delusion. We need to feel empowered to make healthy choices. But healthy choices are easier when the people around us are making them too. And vice-versa: if many of my kids’ classmates cannot afford school lunch, the quality of the school lunch will decline. If many of the people in my neighborhood cannot afford fresh produce, odds are I’ll have to travel far to get to a decent supermarket, etc., etc.
Some of us may succeed in isolating ourselves from our fellow Americans’ misfortunate, but most of us will not, something to keep in mind as the Senate debates the “One, Big Beautiful Bill Act.” By eroding the social safety net—including by restricting SNAP benefits (formerly food stamps) for parents of kids aged ten or older (seven or older in the House version of the bill)—the legislation will put healthy choices out of reach for millions of Americans. In doing so, it will make healthy choices for many more of us that much harder.