Inside The Republican Network Behind Big Soda’s Bid To Pit Maga Against Maha

Major US soft-drink and snack-food corporations are waging a coordinated run that intends to pit Donald Trump’s Maga religious against Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Make America Healthy Again movement, a Guardian investigation successful business pinch biology watchdog Fieldnotes has found. Their extremity is to stymie nan Maha-led effort to curb Americans’ depletion of soda and ultra-processed foods.

To transportation retired nan plan, nan companies person turned to a partially formalized web of for-hire pollsters, strategists and governmental financiers pinch heavy ties to nan nationalist Republican statement – respective of whom person taken steps that obscure their relationship to nan effort and to 1 another. In nan process, nan manufacture has besides been aided little straight by a loose conjugation of free-market ideologues who person antecedently worked to beforehand Trump’s deregulatory agenda.

The effort features Maga influencers hired by a patient that promotes “anti-woke” movies; an obscure investigation group Lee Zeldin was moving for erstwhile Donald Trump picked him to lead nan US Environmental Protection Agency; and a media outlet backed by rightwing billionaires Leonard Leo and Charles Koch, among others.

The ongoing power run is being spearheaded by nan American Beverage Association pinch thief from nan Consumer Brands Association, 2 salient waste and acquisition groups successful nan nutrient industry. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper, nan 3 largest soft-drink corporations successful nan United States, arsenic good arsenic packaged-food conglomerates for illustration General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz and Nestlé, are among those that salary dues for nan correct to person a opportunity successful either aliases some of nan waste and acquisition groups’ strategies.

All 3 soda-makers identified nan Maha efforts arsenic important threats to their bottommost lines successful their astir caller yearly reports, delivered to investors aft Trump nominated Kennedy to beryllium caput of US Health and Human Services. Coke and Dr Pepper went arsenic acold arsenic to propose specified risks would beryllium compounded if unnamed “government officials” were to sound wellness concerns astir their products. The 3 soda makers did not respond to questions astir nan lobbying effort.

The companies’ astir pressing governmental concerns are 2 related RFK Jr-backed efforts: 1 to prohibition schools from serving foods pinch petroleum-based dyes, and nan different to barroom individuals receiving Snap benefits from utilizing nan national nutrition assistance to acquisition soft drinks.

Their not-so-subtle connection to blimpish lawmakers, delivered straight by lobbyists and indirectly via some an manufacture beforehand group and paid societal media influencers: reason nan Maha efforts aliases look a Maga backlash.

“Working-class families and individuals crossed America roseate up to ballot for President Trump connected nan committedness of a caller era that would assistance them up, not time off them down again,” nan beverage lobby declared earlier this twelvemonth successful an unsigned memo arsenic immoderate of nan first Maha-themed nutrition efforts were gaining blimpish support successful places for illustration Utah and Arkansas. Supporting nan Snap restrictions, nan group continued, “would deny those voters and that promise”.

To date, nan Maha nutrition efforts person mostly stalled wrong nan Beltway but recovered acold much occurrence extracurricular of it. A twelve states person already requested, and received, waivers from nan US Department of Agriculture allowing them to restrict really Snap benefits tin beryllium used, and roughly a half dozen person passed authorities restricting nutrient dyes successful schoolhouse meals.

The Utah authorities typical Kristen Chevrier, a Republican whose Snap and school-meals bills were signed into rule by her politician successful March, says that’s apt because nan industry’s power is concentrated successful nan nation’s capital. “It’s easier for nan large nutrient industries to power nan national authorities past it is for them to power a full bunch of different states,” she said successful an interview.

Chevrier, who describes herself arsenic “a Maha mom earlier Maha was a thing”, said nan lobbyists who approached her focused acold much connected their ain profits than immoderate governmental backlash she mightiness face. Their privilege was “how overmuch money they were going to suffer if group stopped buying soda pinch Snap dollars”, she said. “The lobbyists were sitting location astatine nan array pinch maine and I said: ‘Do you person immoderate thought what this sounds like? That you’re much concerned astir nan money you’re going to suffer than you are astir nan wellness of nan susceptible organization that you’re serving?”

Mystery firms and ‘lethal precision’

Communications obtained via a nationalist records petition corroborate that manufacture lobbyists attempted to usage nan Maga-versus-Maha messaging successful their bid to derail nan nutrition bills astatine nan authorities level. And they’ve done truthful pinch seasoned GOP strategists serving arsenic mediate operatives, creating nan quality of region betwixt nan companies and their preferred narrative.

In precocious February, for instance, arsenic 2 Maha bills were moving done nan Arizona legislature, soda lobbyist Michael Gardner reached out to lawmakers to make his client’s lawsuit against nan Snap legislation, which was yet vetoed by nan governor. He closed by directing nan elected officials’ attraction to a then-recent article headlined “Trump voters want SNAP users to beryllium capable to bargain soda”. The underlying root for that declare was a canvass paid for by nan American Beverage Association itself.

The patient hired to behaviour nan survey, Public Opinion Strategies, is owned by Glen Bolger, who antecedently worked for nan National Republican legislature committee, nan House GOP’s main run arm. The American Beverage Association paid Bolger’s patient astir $2m successful 2023, nan astir caller twelvemonth for which nan waste and acquisition group’s tax filings are publically available.

Bolger and his patient are besides portion of a larger, formal web of governmental shops tally by Phil Cox, who was erstwhile a apical executive at Americans for Prosperity, nan Koch family’s superior dark-money group, and who is presently connected nan committee of nan Senate Leadership Fund and WinRed. Cox’s network, GP3 Partners, includes much than a twelve different firms and boasts online of its “proven expertise to play pinch lethal precision astatine scale”.

Completing this peculiar lobbying spin-cycle – from industry-funded canvass to news sum nan industry’s lobbyists could usage to unit lawmakers – was nan outlet successful which nan article astir nan study appeared, nan Center Square. Despite claiming to beryllium a supplier of “high-quality statehouse and statewide news”, it has been identified by publicity experts astatine Columbia University arsenic a purveyor of “pink slime”, meaning, partisan talking points presented arsenic nonsubjective journalism. The Center Square is tally by nan Franklin News Foundation, a blimpish non-profit that has received important backing from Donors Trust, Leonard Leo’s superior dark-money vehicle, and that is part of nan State Policy Network of rightwing thinktanks backed by Leo and nan Koch family. (Chris Krug, nan patient of nan Center Square, said successful an email: “The Center Square maintains editorial independence, free from immoderate outer influence.”)

As Gardner was moving to derail Arizona’s Snap measure connected behalf of nan soda makers, a 2nd manufacture lobbyist, nan Consumer Brands Association’s Erin Raden, was waging a similar, albeit much convoluted, effort successful guidance to nan state’s school-meal bill, nan records show.

In a March email to 1 of nan bill’s sponsors, Raden based on against nan authorities and then, overmuch arsenic Gardner had, closed by pointing to an article posted by a rightwing news outlet that suggested Trump voters wanted specified decisions near to nan president. “I cognize you are hosting a municipality hallway tomorrow and thought it mightiness travel up,” Raden wrote to nan Republican legislator Janae Shamp, who had introduced nan measure successful Arizona’s precocious chamber.

This time, nan underlying canvass connected which nan article was based was conducted by nan Tyson Group connected behalf of Plymouth Union Public Research. Unlike Public Opinion Strategies, which is well-known wrong definite Washington DC circles and publically discloses its ties to GP3, Tyson Group has a acold smaller and little transparent nationalist presence. Its website lists just 5 employees. However, nan patient doesn’t disclose publically that each 5 of those individuals also work astatine P2 Public Affairs, a overmuch larger and much salient blimpish consulting patient – 1 that, for illustration Public Opinion Strategies, is besides part of Cox’s GP3 umbrella organization.

The metadata connected an soul memo for consequent Tyson polling likewise shows that archive was created by Katherine Swetman, who is not listed connected Tyson’s tract arsenic an worker but is listed connected P2’s arsenic a trading head specializing successful “targeted messaging”. (P2 and Tyson did not respond to questions astir their building aliases engagement successful nan campaign. The Consumer Brands Association said successful a connection that it did not salary for nan canvass but believes “most voters crossed nan country” would for illustration a nationalist modular for nutrient additives.)

Plymouth Union Public Research is moreover much opaque. The group, besides known arsenic PUP Research, describes itself online arsenic a 501(c)6 non-profit, but location is presently nary grounds of it successful nan Internal Revenue Service database of specified tax-exempt organizations. The group did not respond to questions astir its activity and staff. The patient does, however, show up successful nan ethics paperwork Zeldin revenge successful January arsenic portion of his confirmation process. In that filing, Zeldin disclosed serving arsenic a head astatine nan investigation patient from October 2024 to nan clip he revenge nan study connected 11 January 2025.

While PUP Research doesn’t disclose its activity aliases employees, an evident sister statement known arsenic Plymouth Union Public Advocacy, aliases PUP Advocacy, does. The advocacy firm’s website suggests it launched earlier this twelvemonth pinch a seven-figure paid run successful support of Trump’s agenda, and that it is led by a trio of GOP veterans.

The Trump administration astatine times pushes backmost connected nan thought that Maha’s nutrition schedule is an affront to its base. Earlier this year, aft nan Arkansas politician Sarah Huckabee Sanders applied for 1 of nan Snap waivers, nan American Beverage Association branded Sanders and nan caput of nan USDA, Brooke Rollins, arsenic nan “food police” connected X. (The American Beverage Association’s CEO, Kevin Keane, has undertaken a circuit of blimpish podcasts and conferences, pushing a akin statement that nan authorities shouldn’t beryllium “making decisions for people” erstwhile it comes to nutrition.)

The station drew a swift rebuke from Rollins’s X account. “It’s disappointing that nan American Beverage Association’s activity dragged its full membership–and nan patriotic American workers and their families they employment and represent–into nonstop conflict pinch this Administration’s priorities for American health, well-being, and payer protection,” she wrote. “These priorities–which those aforesaid American workers voted to endorse–will prevail.” She tagged Kennedy successful her response.

Paid Maga influencers

As manufacture lobbyists were making their lawsuit to lawmakers directly, an industry-funded beforehand group, Americans for Food and Beverage Choice, was moving a small-dollar Facebook advertisement run featuring nan industry’s Snap-related polling successful astatine slightest 9 states, according to nan Meta advertisement room database. The non-profit bills itself arsenic a grassroots organization, but according to its 2023 taxation filing, nan astir caller available, each of nan 4 individuals who served arsenic either a head aliases serviceman of nan statement that twelvemonth besides was employed astatine nan American Beverage Association, including Keane himself.

Meanwhile, a group of Maga-aligned influencers were taking nan aforesaid pro-soda connection nationwide by posting client-approved talking points connected Elon Musk’s X – each while not disclosing they were being paid to do so. “We cannot let ‘Make America Healthy Again’ messaging to beryllium utilized to unit needy Americans into not buying definite things,” tweeted blimpish influencer Eric Daugherty, adding: “President Trump virtually has a Diet Coke fastener successful his Oval Office.”

The paid-influencer run was first documented by Nick Sortor, a blimpish journalist and podcaster, who obtained soul documents from nan societal media trading agency down nan effort, Influenceable LLC.

“This run highlights nan dangers of authorities overregulation, pinch a circumstantial attraction connected existent efforts to restrict soda purchases done food-aid programs,” nan company’s instructions to nan influencers read. “The communicative emphasizes really specified regularisation is an overreach that unfairly targets user choice, particularly considering nan president himself is simply a Diet Coke enthusiast.” For bully measure, nan influencers were besides encouraged to stock a photograph of Trump drinking a soda while riding successful a play cart.

After being called retired by Sortor, Daugherty and astatine slightest one different influencer deleted their posts. “Yeah, that was dumb of me,” Daugherty posted. “Massive ovum connected my face. In each seriousness, it won’t hap again.”

Influenceable LLC is tally by Camron and Liam Rafizadeh, brothers who person made a sanction for themselves by trafficking successful anti-LGBTQ+ memes and pro-Trump talking points online. In 2019, nan brace founded Today Is America Inc, which describes itself arsenic “the fastest-growing pro-America Gen Z, Anti-woke company”.

While Influenceable’s website does not database immoderate circumstantial governmental campaigns it has worked on, IRS filings show that it was paid $110,000 successful 2023 by nan Center for Renewing America, a Christian-nationalist statement founded by Russell Vought, Trump’s existent head of nan agency of guidance and budget.

Keane has denied that nan American Beverage Association was down nan Influenceable campaign. Nonetheless, nan projected talking points powerfully echo nan industry’s – including 1 that appears to mention nan very canvass nan group paid for and past utilized to lobby authorities officials successful Arizona and cited successful nan Facebook run tally by nan beforehand group that Keane leads. “Polling shows,” nan last talking constituent fixed to nan influencers reads, “a mostly of Trump voters reason restrictions connected soda purchases done SNAP.”

Josh Voorhees is an investigative editor astatine Fieldnotes, a watchdog statement focused connected nan lipid and state industry