In recent weeks, a fierce debate has erupted across social media and mainstream news outlets, putting a spotlight on the influence of so-called MAHA and MAGA moms—right-wing, often anti-establishment mothers—on public health and political discourse in the United States. From attacks on survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse to the amplification of anti-vaccination rhetoric, these online personalities and their supporters are shaping conversations and, some argue, endangering lives.
On September 8, 2025, Jessica Reed Kraus, a prominent MAHA mommy blogger and frequent associate of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., took to Instagram to lash out at survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. According to The Daily Beast, Kraus, who earlier this year received a declassified “Epstein binder” from the Trump administration, mocked Epstein’s victims for their repeated visits to his infamous Caribbean island, Little Saint James. Kraus, who has built a following of 1.3 million on Instagram, posted, “Last I checked, there is nothing illegal about sending an old friend sentiments in a birthday card,” referencing a 2003 letter President Donald Trump sent to Epstein.
Kraus’s posts didn’t stop at defending Trump. She took aim at survivors Anouska De Georgiou, Liz Stein, and Sarah Ransome, posting their photos and accusing them of “twisting and manipulating the story.” In a particularly controversial statement, Kraus wrote, “Participating in a sexual experience at 26 with two other adults is called a threesome, not rape,” dismissing the accounts of adult survivors. She further criticized the women, saying, “Maybe stop boarding the flights that take you to [the] island,” in reference to the notorious Little Saint James.
Kraus’s attacks come on the heels of MAGA attempts to spin Trump’s now-infamous birthday letter to Epstein. The letter, which featured a drawing of a naked woman with the signature “Donald” mimicking pubic hair, has been at the center of a political firestorm. The Trump camp, led by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, has denied any wrongdoing, stating, “The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false. As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it. President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation. Furthermore, the ‘reporter’ who wrote this hatchet job reached out for comment at the EXACT same minute he published his story giving us no time to respond. This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!”
Adding fuel to the controversy, Kraus is connected to Substack writer Michael Tracey, who has also publicly dismissed Epstein survivors. Tracey was removed from a press conference on September 5, 2025, after questioning survivor Lisa Phillips about settlement money. At that same conference, Phillips announced that survivors are now compiling their own list of individuals connected to Epstein’s abuse, declaring, “It will be done by survivors, and for survivors.”
This intersection of right-wing activism, skepticism toward mainstream narratives, and personal attacks isn’t limited to the Epstein saga. In a scathing opinion piece published on September 9, 2025, Jos Joseph warned that anti-vaccination rhetoric—often championed by MAHA and MAGA moms—was endangering the lives of children across America. Writing for The Hill, Joseph recounted a personal exchange with a high school friend who insisted vaccines were more dangerous than the diseases they prevent. When Joseph asked if she knew what whooping cough sounded like, she replied, “Wait, what is whooping cough?”
Joseph’s frustration is palpable. He argues that the anti-vaccine movement, fueled by echo chambers and a lack of firsthand experience with deadly diseases, is pushing the country closer to a public health disaster. “At some point, we have to stop being nice about this and call out the people behind the public health disaster we are about to go through for what they are—terrible mothers,” Joseph wrote. He points to the fact that only 22 percent of Americans oppose vaccination, but that anti-vaccine sentiment is amplified by politicians in states like Florida, Texas, and Idaho.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s plan to end all vaccine mandates for school children is cited as a particularly dangerous example. Joseph warns that such policies risk a resurgence of diseases like measles, tuberculosis, and whooping cough—illnesses that most Americans have never seen thanks to decades of successful vaccination campaigns. He notes, “These moms have never experienced the measles, tuberculosis, whooping cough, and all the other diseases we were lucky not to have because of vaccines.”
The article also highlights the tragic case of a Texas mother whose unvaccinated child died from measles in 2025. Despite the loss, she continued to defend her anti-vaccine stance, a testament, Joseph argues, to the power of ideological echo chambers. “While many of these anti-vaxxers are eager to go down a rabbit hole of pseudo-science and conspiracies to confirm their feelings, they run away from the reality of these diseases,” he wrote.
Joseph’s critique isn’t limited to vaccines. He draws connections between anti-vaccine activism and other campaigns popular among MAHA/MAGA moms, such as opposition to food dyes, processed foods, and soda. While these issues have broadened their appeal, Joseph warns that they distract from the real dangers: “But just because you don’t like the color of Skittles doesn’t mean you are absolved for supporting people that want your kids to get a 100-day cough that is so violent that it might fracture their ribs.”
He also points out the irony that gun deaths, not vaccines, are the leading cause of child mortality in the U.S., yet many of the same mothers who oppose vaccines support policies that increase access to firearms. “These are the first mothers in history to want more disease, more gun deaths, more pollution and less education for their kids,” Joseph argued, referencing the broader policy agenda supported by MAGA-aligned politicians.
Ultimately, Joseph calls on Democratic politicians to take a firmer stand against these ideologies, arguing that the health and future of America’s children are at stake. “Democratic and Republican moms who have been watching in horror need politicians to step up and take the gloves off. MAHA or MAGA moms who embrace this ideology are bad mothers. Their kids’ lives depend on them hearing the truth.”
As the debate rages on, it’s clear that the influence of MAHA and MAGA moms—whether in dismissing the trauma of abuse survivors or rejecting lifesaving vaccines—continues to shape America’s cultural and political landscape. The stakes, as both critics and supporters acknowledge, could not be higher.