Why Should I Trust You?
Bold, unfiltered, and uncompromisingly honest, Why Should I Trust You? is a weekly podcast that looks at the breakdown in trust for science and public health. It drops every Thursday, with occasional additional special episodes sprinkled in.
Hosted by Brinda Adhikari, the former executive producer of “The Problem with Jon Stewart” and a former TV news journalist; Tom Johnson, the former executive producer of “The Circus,” and also a former TV news journalist; Dr. Maggie Bartlett, a virologist and assistant research professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Dr. Mark Abdelmalek a skin cancer surgeon, a medical journalist and a dermatologist practicing in Philadelphia - each week we try to figure out what is behind this staggering collapse in trust and see if we can rebuild towards trust again.
We hear from people who are wary about public statements, recommendations and studies coming from what they view as an elitist and conflict-riddled scientific establishment. And we hear from those in this establishment who fear the consequences of what they see as a dangerous trend towards anti-expertise. And then somehow, we will seek a path through all this!
Why Should I Trust You?
MAGA + MAHA: How Will This Work Exactly? We Speak With Journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon
With measles cases spreading and reports of the first measles death in 10 years, all eyes are on the new health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, in what is his first real public health test. He said the measles outbreaks were not unusual. According to the CDC and Your Local Epidemiologist newsletter, 2025 has already passed 8 out of the last 15 years in annual counts of measles.
On today's episode: In 2024, after Kennedy rose to join Donald Trump, what we got was a powerful union, between MAGA and MAHA. When Kennedy dropped his independent bid for the White House and endorsed Donald J. Trump, his MAHA supporters rallied behind the Republican candidate.
This merger unites two groups that, at first glance, seem to have little in common. One is a populist movement, championing the working American who feels overlooked and dismissed by the elites. The other is a coalition of wellness enthusiasts and vaccine skeptics, critics of big business, and those wary of pharma’s influence over health policy and advocates of health freedom, coming together in common cause.
But what happens when the realpolitik of governing kicks in, with its focus on priorities, compromises, and funding? Will MAGA rally behind MAHA’s causes, especially if they call for more business regulations, farming restrictions, and higher health standards? Is MAHA wise to trust MAGA? Journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon, author, journalist, and vocal Trump supporter, joins the discussion, with a take on all of this that you won't want to miss.
Hosts:
Brinda Adhikari
Tom Johnson
Maggie Bartlett
Dr. Mark Abdelmalek
Guest:
Batya Ungar-Sargon, columnist The Free Press, author Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women
Sources:
RFK and Donald Trump’s alliance
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/09/rfk-trump-health-maga/680011/
The anti-vaccine movement
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9981160/
MAHA’s agenda
https://thehill.com/newsletters/health-care/5144511-rfk-kennedy-maha-era-begins/
What is MAHA?
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-is-maha-health-wellness-movement-rfk-jr-policies.html
MAHA’s legislative goals
https://www.axios.com/2024/11/14/maha-movement-federal-health-agencies
Recent history of the vaccine skeptical movement
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/the-anti-vax-movement-hustl/
The MAHA Commission
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/13/trump-maha-commission-rfk-chronic-illness
Republicans and Democrats Views on Vaccines
https://news.gallup.com/poll/648308/far-fewer-regard-childhood-vaccinations-important.aspx
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