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Influencer Picked for Surgeon General 05/08 06:25
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is tapping Dr. Casey Means, a
physician-turned-wellness influencer with close ties to Health and Human
Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as his nominee for surgeon general
after withdrawing his initial pick for the influential health post.
Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that Means has "impeccable
'MAHA' credentials" -- referring to the " Make America Healthy Again " slogan
-- and that she will work to eradicate chronic disease and improve the health
and well-being of Americans.
"Her academic achievements, together with her life's work, are absolutely
outstanding," Trump said. "Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the
finest Surgeon Generals in United States History."
In doing so, Trump withdrew former Fox News medical contributor Janette
Nesheiwat from consideration for the job, marking at least the second
health-related pick from Trump to be pulled from Senate consideration.
Nesheiwat had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee Thursday for her confirmation hearing.
Means and her brother, former lobbyist Calley Means, served as key advisers
to Kennedy's longshot 2024 presidential bid and helped broker his endorsement
of Trump last summer. The pair made appearances with some of Trump's biggest
supporters, winning praise from conservative pundit Tucker Carlson and
podcaster Joe Rogan. Calley Means is currently a White House adviser who
appears frequently on television to promote restrictions on SNAP benefits,
removing fluoride from drinking water and other MAHA agenda items.
Casey Means has no government experience and dropped out of her surgical
residency program, saying she became disillusioned with traditional medicine.
She founded a health tech company, Levels, that helps users track blood sugar
and other metrics. She also makes money from dietary supplements, creams, teas
and other products sponsored on her social media accounts.
In interviews and articles, Means and her brother describe a dizzying web of
influences to blame for the nation's health problems, including corrupt food
conglomerates that have hooked Americans on unhealthy diets, leaving them
reliant on daily medications from the pharmaceutical industry to manage
obesity, diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Few health experts would dispute that the American diet -- full of processed
foods -- is a contributor to obesity and related problems. But Means goes
further, linking changes in diet and lifestyle to a raft of conditions
including infertility, Alzheimer's, depression and erectile dysfunction.
"Almost every chronic health symptom that Western medicine addresses is the
result of our cells being beleaguered by how we've come to live," Means said in
a 2024 book co-written with her brother.
Food experts say it's overly simplistic to declare that all processed foods
are harmful, since the designation covers an estimated 60% of U.S. foods,
including products as diverse as granola, peanut butter and potato chips.
"They are not all created equal," said Gabby Headrick, a nutrition
researcher at George Washington University's school of public health. "It is
much more complicated than just pointing the finger at ultra-processed foods as
the driver of chronic disease in the United States."
Means has mostly steered clear of Kennedy's controversial and debunked views
on vaccines. But on her website, she has called for more investigation into
their safety and recommends making it easier for patients to sue drugmakers in
the event of vaccine injuries. Since the late 1980s, federal law has shielded
those companies from legal liability to encourage development of vaccines
without the threat of costly personal injury lawsuits.
She trained as a surgeon at Stanford University but has built an online
following by criticizing the medical establishment and promoting natural foods
and lifestyle changes to reverse obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
If confirmed as surgeon general, Means would be tasked with helping promote
Kennedy's sprawling MAHA agenda, which calls for removing thousands of
additives and chemicals from U.S. foods, rooting out conflicts of interest at
federal agencies and incentivizing healthier foods in school lunches and other
nutrition programs.
Nesheiwat, Trump's first pick, is a medical director for an urgent care
company in New York and has appeared regularly on Fox News to offer medical
expertise and insights. She is a vocal supporter of Trump and shares photos of
them together on social media. Nesheiwat is also the sister-in-law of former
national security adviser Mike Waltz, who has been nominated to be Trump's
ambassador to the United Nations.
But she had recently come under criticism from Laura Loomer, a far-right
ally of Trump who was instrumental in ousting several members of the
president's National Security Council. Loomer posted on X earlier this week
that "we can't have a pro-COVID vaccine nepo appointee who is currently
embroiled in a medical malpractice case and who didn't go to medical school in
the US" as the surgeon general.
Independent freelance journalist Anthony Clark reported last month that
Nesheiwat earned her medical degree from the American University of the
Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten, despite saying that she has a
degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine. The White House
pulled Nesheiwat's nomination because of doubts about her confirmation
prospects, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on
condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's reasoning.
"I am looking forward to continuing to support President Trump and working
closely with Secretary Kennedy in a senior policy role to Make America Healthy
Again! My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all
Americans, and that mission hasn't changed," Nesheiwat wrote on social media
Wednesday.
The surgeon general, considered the nation's doctor, oversees 6,000 U.S.
Public Health Service Corps members and can issue advisories that warn of
public health threats.
In March, the White House pulled from consideration the nomination of former
Florida GOP Rep. Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. His skepticism on vaccines had raised concerns from key Republican
senators, and he withdrew after being told by the White House that he did not
have enough support to be confirmed.
The withdrawal was first reported by Bloomberg News.
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