★ Private Action
Botanic Tonics donates $1M to Kennedy-aligned MAHA PAC
Filed April 2026$1,000,000
★ The Brief
What happened
Botanic Tonics, maker of the Feel Free kratom tonic, gave $1 million to MAHA PAC, a committee aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about 44 percent of everything the committee raised from early 2025 through April 2026.
Who enabled it
Who benefits
Deal or steal?
Botanic Tonics had its federal kratom lawsuit dropped by the Trump administration in December 2025, and Mr. Kennedy's health department moved to ease FDA scrutiny of kratom; the company supplied nearly half of his aligned committee's money.
★ Cast your vote
Over a roughly two-month period in early 2026, Botanic Tonics, the Oklahoma-based maker of the Feel Free kratom tonic, donated $1 million to MAHA PAC, a political committee associated with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again agenda. According to The New York Times, the contribution accounted for about 44 percent of all the funds the committee raised between the beginning of 2025 and the end of April 2026. The donation followed the company's founder, Jerry W. Ross, ramping up giving to Mr. Kennedy: in the weeks around the inauguration, Mr. Ross contributed nearly $162,000 to Mr. Kennedy's defunct presidential campaign, exceeding by many times his total federal political giving to that point.
Further reading
- ★ Government ActionDecember 2025Mullin pushes to ease FDA kratom rules while invested in Botanic Tonics
- ★ Government ActionDecember 2025Trump's Justice Department drops kratom case against Botanic Tonics
- ★ Government ActionJune 2026Trump's DOJ closes Paramount-Warner probe before staff could object
- ★ Government ActionFebruary 2026Trump threatens to block Gordie Howe Bridge opening to punish Canada
- ★ Private ActionFebruary 2026Gas-station-drug maker donates to win Vance's ear against his rivals
- ★ Government ActionFebruary 2026Moroun lobbies Lutnick before Trump threatens Gordie Howe Bridge