Taylor Farms Spent Millions Backing Maga Before Diarrhea Outbreak. Now They’re Arguing Over Test Results

Taylor Farms, nan nutrient institution that voluntarily recalled its lettuce amid nan ongoing diarrhea parasite outbreak, has spent caller years donating millions of dollars to groups aligned pinch President Trump and nan Republican Party’s agenda.

Now, however, pinch more than 10,000 cases of cyclosporiasis logged crossed nan U.S., nan institution is publically battling and privately lobbying nan White House.

Taylor Farms, which connected Friday voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce grown successful cardinal Mexico, has fixed prolifically to support nan GOP, according to a WIRED study of national filings.

The spending spree has reportedly included giving much than $2 cardinal to blimpish groups successful 2025, including $1 cardinal to MAGA Inc., a Trump-aligned governmental action committee, arsenic good arsenic much than $1.6 cardinal to blimpish groups betwixt 2020 and 2024, including $850,000 to an anti-regulation PAC tied to nan Koch brothers network.

Bruce Taylor, president and CEO of nan company, has besides donated astir $1 cardinal to Republican PACs and candidates since 2020, WIRED found.

All that reported support hasn’t needfully smoothed things betwixt nan institution and nan administration.

“Nothing influences our decisions isolated from subject and nan information of nan American people,” nan Department of Health and Human Services wrote connected X successful a caller post, amid online speculation past support from Taylor Farms was swaying nan Trump administration’s attack to nan outbreak.

On Saturday, nan Food and Drug Administration reported a sample of lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico tested affirmative for nan diarrhea-causing parasite, only to later backtrack and state nan trial a “false positive,” citing “the complexity successful discovery of Cyclospora.”

“FDA and authorities partners proceed to cod and analyse merchandise samples,” according to a existent announcement connected nan FDA website. “As of July 19, 2026, location are nary confirmed affirmative sample results for merchandise testing for Cyclospora.”

On Sunday, Taylor Farms wrote successful a connection that “FDA apologized to us,” though an agency charismatic soon told reporters it had not successful truth fixed an “official apology” and was alternatively “providing actual information" astir nan position of nan outbreak.

The Independent has contacted nan White House, Taylor Farms and nan FDA for comment.

Last week, nan institution told The New York Times it had met pinch officials astatine nan White House and FDA to talk what it called “shortfalls successful nan F.D.A. and C.D.C.’s outbreak consequence process.”

Further White House contacts whitethorn beryllium aided by a reported summation to Taylor’s lobbying team: Trent Morse, nan erstwhile lawman head of nan White House Presidential Personnel Office, who near nan management past year.

The lettuce institution isn’t nan only 1 taking rumor pinch nan Trump administration’s claims astir nan outbreak.

Mexico's Health Minister David Kershenobich said connected Tuesday that location is nary grounds to propose lettuce from his state is nan origin of nan cyclosporiasis outbreak.

Critics reason nan Trump administration’s DOGE cost-cutting program, which slashed national agencies and pushed thousands of knowledgeable national workers to judge early retirements, has hamstrung nan government’s expertise to inspect nutrient for pathogens.

“The cuts crossed nutrient safety, successful position of nationalist health, successful position of regulatory, successful position of research, person contributed to this,” Barbara Kowalcyk, head of nan Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security astatine George Washington University, precocious told The New York Times. “I don’t deliberation it’s a nonstop cause, but it’s been a contributing factor.”