Robert F Kennedy Jr speaks during an “Eat Real Food” rally in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, Feb 26, 2026.
(Jordan Vonderhaar / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Something weird is happening on the far right. MAGA influencers are calling out the pork industry. RFK Jr. is taking credit for militant animal rescue actions. And the animal welfare movement is taking notice. Astra Taylor joins us again to talk about a forthcoming article she and Aaron coauthored on the shifting political terrain around animal rights. The core question: Could this be the new MAHA (Make America Healthy Again)? A few years ago, it was impossible to imagine that crunchy moms who hate Monsanto would become a key part of Trump’s electoral coalition. But here we are, in part because Democrats created a vacuum on health issues that the right stepped into. We think something similar could be happening today with animal rights—which, if the left doesn’t wake up, could be very bad for all of us.
The Fighting Fascism podcast is produced by Nik Damants in collaboration with The Nation.
Intro song and music by Horse Radish.
Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.