A group of nearly 200 supporters of the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) initiative, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., issued a letter Friday opposing President Donald Trump’s use of coal to power artificial intelligence data centers. The letter, signed by former Kennedy campaign aides, represents a public disagreement between environmental activists within the MAHA movement and the administration’s energy policies. The correspondence urges the administration to prioritize clean energy alternatives like solar and geothermal power to avoid increasing pollution levels.
The conflict stems from a 2025 executive directive issued by President Trump that supports the expansion of coal-powered data centers. While the president has described coal as a necessary resource for winning the global artificial intelligence race against China, members of the MAHA movement argue that the resulting pollution poses health risks to children. The White House and relevant federal agencies did not provide an immediate response to the letter, which was first reported by The Associated Press.
Prominent signatories include Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America, and Charles Eisenstein, a former speechwriter for Kennedy. Honeycutt stated that her research into coal ash and the local impact of data centers led to the group’s formal opposition. While Kennedy has implemented other MAHA-aligned priorities at the Department of Health and Human Services—such as reviewing vaccine recommendations and food additives—activists expressed growing frustration over the administration’s broader deregulatory agenda and support for pesticides like glyphosate.
The scale of the impact involves the energy infrastructure required for national AI development, which the president has described as a source of "enormous" jobs and tax revenue for states and towns. However, the move toward coal-fired power for these centers could lead to concrete changes for residents, including fluctuations in local electricity bills, increased demand on water supplies, and exposure to air and noise pollution. Voters in these affected communities would notice these changes in their monthly utility costs and local environmental conditions as new data centers are constructed under the directive.
The pushback sets a precedent for how internal factions within the Trump administration’s coalition may influence future energy and environmental policy. If these activists follow through on stated intentions to vote based on specific health issues rather than party loyalty, it could impact upcoming political contests. The group has called for a transparent review of data center locations and adherence to environmental permitting rules. The next steps involve the administration’s response to the request for clean energy alternatives and the potential impact on voting patterns in the midterm elections scheduled for November.