Explaining the Right: Why is MAGA obsessed with drinking raw milk?

Drinking raw, unpasteurized milk was once mainly touted by a small group of people on the left, often those skeptical of corporate farming. But now, as concerns increase about the possibility that avian flu might be transmittable to humans via consumption of raw milk, MAGA conservatives have taken up the cause.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn against consuming unpasteurized milk. Pasteurization kills pathogens in milk, and when that process is skipped, the milk may contain dangerous germs, such as salmonella, E. coli, listeria, and others.

The CDC has recorded 202 outbreaks involving raw milk between 1998 and 2018, resulting in over 2,600 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations.

Since 2020, several Republican-led states have passed legislation or changed regulations allowing the sale of raw milk, despite these health concerns. The states include Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

At the same time, MAGA influencers have started promoting raw milk. Alex Clark, a podcast host for the far-right students group Turning Point USA, has extolled the virtues of raw milk for pregnant women, despite that the FDA has specifically warned that pregnancies can be harmed through the consumption of raw milk. Undeterred by science, Turning Point USA has sold T-shirts and glass straws with pro-raw-milk slogans.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is a raw-milk advocate as well. Speaking before a pro-raw-milk group in 2022, Kennedy said it is the only type of milk he consumes. He has also advocated for eliminating federal regulations governing raw milk and has complained about the “aggressive suppression” of raw milk. 

Kennedy frequently promotes misinformation about science, particularly the debunked claim that there is a connection between childhood vaccination and autism.

Conservatism has historically been motivated by mistrust of the scientific establishment and the scientific process, along with a desire to “trigger” liberals with disturbing behavior.

In recent history, this drive was demonstrated by conservative complaints and protests about masking during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as public health officials advocated for masking to stop the spread of the virus. Conservatives also railed against mandatory vaccination policies, though these policies were a key weapon in the fight against infection.

Data has shown that these beliefs were such a large part of conservatism that areas with large conservative populations showed a higher rate of deaths related to COVID than other areas.

The rise of avian flu in milk supplies, along with existing germs in raw milk, make consuming the risky product even more of a gamble. But conservatives, driven by the distrust inherent in their belief system as well as an urge to make liberals mad, appear dead set on pushing raw-milk consumption.

Even if it kills them in the process.