The White House’s MAHA Gatekeeper
Internal friction has emerged within the White House regarding the influence of 'Make America Healthy Again' activists on health policy. Specifically, a policy adviser clashed with Joe Rogan and his allies over the drafting of an executive order concerning psychedelic therapies.
Why it matters
This reveals the power dynamics and ideological tensions between external influencers and internal policy experts within the current administration.
A policy wonk who could lead the FDA has angered “Make America Healthy Again” activists.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg / Getty; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. July 24, 2026, 6:30 AM ET Share Save T he world’s most popular podcaster , Joe Rogan, reached out privately in April to the world’s most powerful man, Donald Trump, to discuss the healing power of ibogaine, a psychedelic made from the root bark of a Central African shrub that researchers are studying as a treatment for addiction and trauma. Trump responded by text, “‘Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it,’” Rogan announced weeks later, when he stood behind the president in the Oval Office for the signing of an executive order on psychedelic therapies. “It was literally that quick.”
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