Strollers and car seats prices have skyrocketed as businesses compete to adapt to President Trump's tariff policies. Federal support for major campaigns to promote safe infant sleep habits appears to have been reduced. The outbreak of measles is a scary parent of young children despite the national health secretary's damage to the vaccine.
Trump administration's policies have reached deeper into American family life, changing the everyday and non-political parts of some parental eras – travel to pediatricians, conversations in swimming classes, chatting at online baby gear forums – in scenes of anxiety and anger.
For Democrats looking for the strongest message amid the tumultuous tumultuous Trump terminology, parenting politics offers a test case. Can Democrats convince voters that this White House is making their lives even more difficult?
“I've never heard of this level of fear,” said the Texas Democrat, a Texas Democrat who is pondering his second Senate bid in his state, and has had a lot of measles. He said his non-political friend – “I just want to send my kids to school and see the Cowboys play,” he said, “call me and asked, 'What the heck is going on?”
Politics has no greater motivation than anger and fear. However, in recent years, Republicans have been far more successful in leveraging Democrats' raw emotions.
In 2021, they rode a wave of concern about education during the pandemic era, with the Virginia Governor's race victory. Last year, Democrats were caught off guard as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the leader of the “American Health Again” movement and now Health Secretary, helped Trump to be worried about food additives and sway with misinformation about vaccines.
And Joseph R. Biden Jr. acquired parents in 2020 along with children under the age of 18, but Trump captured the demographic in November, the exit vote showed. Many Republicans declare that they are “parents' parties.”
So far, democratic responses have been scattered and there is little evidence of an organized anti-Maha movement.
However, interviews with nearly 40 parents, politicians and pediatricians suggest that there is an opening for candidates who can guide their parents' anger and fear.
Trinity Chisholm, 23, said she is a nursing student and Democrat who was in the library with her one-year-old in Chester, Richmond last week and is worried about the outbreak of measles.
“It feels like it's preying on the anxiety and fear of my parents,” she said.
Georgia State Sen. Nabila Islam Parks, a Democrat with a baby, said in a Facebook parent group that “people are legally surprised.”
“This is a source of serious concern when shutting down safe sleep campaigns and undermining confidence in vaccination programs,” she said. “These are issues that motivate people 100%.”
“This is a slippery slope.”
When the country faces one of the worst measles outbreaks of its generation, Brittany Pettersen, the Colorado Democrat who gave birth in January, does the same calculations as many other parents of young toddlers.
“We are hoping that our parents will start mobilization and our mothers are so scared that we are about to start mobilization,” she said. She suggested that it is “immeasurable” that someone like Kennedy can guide public health policies.
Katrina Britton, 39, did not inoculate her child as six of her seven children collapsed around a playground in Warrington, Pennsylvania.
“Vaccinations should definitely be a personal choice where all parents are educated,” she said, celebrating Kennedy's efforts to cut down on food dyes and seeds and encourage parents to make their own decisions about vaccination.
For many in the science and medical community, and for his democratic critics, Kennedy has doubts about life-saving preventive care.
“The negligence lies with the president who appointed RFK Jr., RFK Jr. himself, and all senators voted to confirm,” said Kim Schlie, a Washington Democrat and pediatrician, calling Kennedy “anti-science” and “anti-vaxin.”
Kennedy, who denied allegations about the connection between vaccines and autism, has sparked privacy concerns for some parents.
“It's another horrifying piece,” said Ebony Turner, a lawyer and former Democratic candidate at the local office where her son has Down syndrome. From her office in Mansfield, Texas, she added, “This is a slippery slope.”
“Chief Kennedy is not an anti-vaccine. He has safety, transparency and promotional capabilities,” said Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.
“They allegedly claim that Secretary Kennedy is spreading misinformation and violating confidence in the vaccine,” he said. “Secretary Kennedy's leadership is based on his relentless commitment to improving the health of our country, especially for children.”
Kennedy has a dedicated supporter. Wellness influencers and other “Maha Mama” promote him in a social media ecosystem where Democrats and Maha critics struggle to match.
“The Democrats are very bad at communication,” said Jessica Knullick, a doctoral dietitian. In nutrition science, she used a considerable online presence to say, “I try to break through accurate information, no matter what aspect of politically.”
She added, “There are messaging issues in the science and healthcare field.”
In interviews across the country, many voters said they were not following Kennedy's comments closely. Others saw no contradictions in both supporting Trump's administration and accepting the vaccine. Many doctors are welcoming the issue of public health should not be political.
However, voters' ability to hold both views suggests that concerns over the management of public health in the Trump administration are not guaranteed to encourage election backlash.
“What Democrats need to do a better job is how to raise the problem, emphasize individual stories and make it a reality for people,” Pettersen said.
Some Democrats argue that their efforts to ring the public health alert bell are beginning to work, and that Republicans in Congress are struggling to drive down Medicaid spending.
“I'll tell your billionaire friends that they only have one yacht.”
Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat Sen., recently in a four-year-old swimming class and spoke to a fellow mother with one child.
“I asked if she was considering having another thing and she said, 'If things aren't going on like this,'” McMorrow said in an interview. “Parents have a lot of concern.”
Trump's allies hope their parents will reach different conclusions. The White House has asked for ideas to convince Americans to have more children. One suggestion is a $5,000 “baby bonus.” Trump has also signed an executive order reaffirming his commitment to reducing the costs of in vitro fertilization.
“President Trump has always prioritized the happiness of our country's families,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.
He pointed to efforts to review baby formulas, saying that Trump's economic agenda is “to rebuild the communities sent through decades of “free” trade deals so that working-class families can thrive again.”
But Trump acknowledges that his tariff policies can have consequences for even children.
“Perhaps kids have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” he said recently.
For Democrats, it was an outrageous statement and an opening to cast the administration as in touch.
“My parents are just going to sit here and get parenting advice from President Trump,” Michigan Democrat President Hillary Scholten said incredible. “As for tax laws, my parents tell him, “Tell him to a billionaire friend that he only has one yacht.” ”
Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat who is hoping for a third child in June, called Trump's tariffs “baby tax,” and declared the administration “anti-boring” given the rising costs of strollers and car seats. He expressed confidence that voters would respond.
“They'll get it,” he said. “They'll get it: “Last year, my cousin, you know, you have a baby, things weren't that expensive. And now they're expensive.”
In an interview, Gallego showed another way in which a child's subject could be politically useful. It's about diverting questions about the presidential election.
Asked about what he has done about his bid for 2028, Galego, who has grown his national profile, replied, “I have three little babies at the time, so focusing on being a good dad and a good senator is the only thing that appeals to me now.”
Joel Wolfram Contributed reports from Warrington, Pennsylvania, Dina Weinstein of Chester, Virginia, and Christa M. Tralva of Mansfield, Texas.
