The Trump administration’s crusade for whole milk revives the iconic ‘Got Milk?’ White mustaches on social media

The Trump administration has made whole milk consumption one of the key pillars of its health policy agenda. In line with revisions to the food pyramid promoted by the Department of Health—which prioritize the consumption of healthy proteins and fats—Trump signed a bipartisan bill allowing schools to serve whole and reduced-fat (2%) milk in their cafeterias.

The recent measure reverses restrictions implemented under the Obama administration in 2010, which limited schools participating in the National School Lunch Program—which provides subsidized meals to millions of students in public and private schools across the United States—to offering only skim milk or milk with a fat content of up to 1%. The policy aimed to reduce rates of childhood obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Under the new guidelines, schools will also be allowed to offer plant-based beverages, such as fortified soy milk, as an alternative in cases of lactose intolerance. This choice will now be at the discretion of parents, as schools will no longer be required to request documentation from a healthcare professional confirming a medical condition.

The legislation has been promoted through a social media campaign that draws on the Got Milk? Ads that became popular in the years 1990 and 2000 thanks to icons such as Beyoncé, Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Aniston, and Taylor Swift. This time, instead of relying on celebrities to promote the message, it is Trump himself and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Who sport the milk moustache, using artificial intelligence—a tool that has become an essential tool for the current administration’s design team.

According to the American Dairy Association North East, all cow’s milk, including lactose-free varieties, contains protein, calcium, vitamins A and D, vitamin B12, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, pantothenic acid, selenium, iodine, potassium, and zinc. As a result, assessments of its health benefits largely depend on the amount of fat and calories recommended in each case.

The law promoting whole milk consumption complements the recent update to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which reversed the traditional food pyramid, now with an equal distribution of proteins, fats, fruits, and vegetables, and a small lower section devoted to grains and cereals. The measure has been welcomed by supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement promoted by Kennedy Jr. Before taking office, Trump’s health secretary gained notoriety for his controversial positions on public health, including anti-vaccine rhetoric and the promotion of unpasteurized milk consumption, a practice that has resurfaced among conservative sectors and has raised alarms among the scientific community, a discourse that, at least for now, he has set aside.