What Trump II Means for Our Food
In this episode of Unconfined, three experts help us sort through the new administration's agenda and try to figure out what it all might mean for food policy.
Claire Kelloway, program manager for fair food and farming systems at the Open Markets Institute; and primary writer of Food & Power, a newsletter covering corporate consolidation of agriculture markets.
Mike Lavender, policy director at National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which also produces a newsletter, this one on Beltway policy developments.
Adam Sheingate, professor of political science at the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Science, where he teaches courses on American politics and institutions, including a seminar on the politics of food. He's also a faculty affiliate at the Center for a Livable Future.
By Tom Philpott Subscribe to Host Notes
The newest episode of Unconfined—our 2025 debut—represents a departure from our norm. With Donald Trump returning to the White House and presiding over a House and Senate under Republican control, we've been thinking a lot about what the new year has in store for food and agriculture policy. What becomes of the Biden administration's push to mitigate corporate consolidation of the meat industry? What does the alliance between Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—fierce critic of both vaccines and Big Ag—mean for food policy in the new administration, where RFK Jr. will likely serve as secretary of Health and Human Services? And whither the farm bill, which has been languishing in need of reauthorization since 2023? To get a grip on these questions and more, we dispensed with our usual one-guest format and assembled a panel.
Give it a listen, and as always, find us on your favorite podcast app, and rate, review, and let us know your thoughts.