A sharp disagreement over pesticide policy reportedly occurred in the Oval Office last week, as farm industry leaders and supporters of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" movement battled over a Trump administration executive order promoting alternatives to conventional pesticides.
According to Axios on Wednesday, the heated meeting highlighted growing tensions between two key parts of President Donald Trump's political coalition: agricultural organizations that defend traditional crop-protection products and MAHA advocates who argue pesticides are contributing to chronic health problems.
The meeting included Trump, Kennedy Jr. and his staff, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, South Dakota farmer Jonathan Lundgren, and White House aides.
Kennedy reportedly urged Trump to sign the executive order after the Supreme Court issued a ruling viewed as a victory for pesticide manufacturers by making it more difficult to sue companies over alleged health risks.
Lundgren also encouraged the president to move forward.
"One of the take-home messages I really wanted [Trump] to understand is that the farmers were sick right now," Lundgren told Axios. "We're literally killing our farmers with these food systems."
Duvall strongly objected, warning Trump the order could undermine public confidence in the nation's food supply and jeopardize support from farmers.
Axios reported the exchange became particularly heated when Kennedy deputy Calley Means accused Duvall of not having read the executive order.
Despite the objections, Trump ultimately signed the order after hearing arguments from both sides.
The executive order, titled "Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience," directs federal agencies to accelerate approval of alternatives to older pesticides, expand research into cumulative chemical exposure, promote precision agriculture, and increase investment in regenerative farming practices.
The order emphasizes that these efforts should occur within existing statutory authority and without imposing new regulatory mandates.
White House spokesman Kush Desai told Axios the president "listens to a variety of opinions from many subject experts to inform his decision-making."
The debate comes as the administration seeks to balance Kennedy's MAHA agenda with the concerns of farmers who rely on conventional pesticides to protect crops and keep food prices affordable.
The New York Times on Thursday reported the executive order stopped short of imposing new regulations or banning widely used pesticides such as glyphosate, instead focusing on research, innovation, and voluntary adoption of alternative farming practices.
The Oval Office clash underscores the political balancing act facing Trump as he works to advance MAHA priorities while maintaining strong support from the agricultural community, a cornerstone of the Republican coalition.