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Trump Taps Wellness Influencer Casey Means for Surgeon General

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 9, 2025.

By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 9, 2025 — President Donald Trump has chosen Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer and health tech entrepreneur, to be his nominee for U.S. surgeon general.

The decision comes after Trump withdrew his previous nominee, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, the Associated Press reported.

Trump announced the pick on social media, saying Means has "impeccable 'MAHA' credentials" and will work to improve the nation’s health by fighting chronic disease. MAHA stands for "Make America Healthy Again."

“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.”

Means is a former surgical resident who left her training and founded a company called Levels, which helps users track their blood sugar.

She has built a large following by promoting natural foods, lifestyle changes and supplements — earning money through sponsored products featured on her social media.

She and her brother, Calley Means, advised U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 2024 presidential bid. Calley Means now works as a White House adviser and often speaks about limiting federal food aid and removing additives from food and water, the AP reported.

The nominee and her brother have criticized processed foods and the pharmaceutical industry, linking poor diets to health issues like obesity, depression and Alzheimer’s. In a 2024 book, they wrote: “Almost every chronic health symptom that Western medicine addresses is the result of our cells being beleaguered by how we’ve come to live."

Some experts agree that a poor diet is linked to chronic disease, but say the solution is more complex than just avoiding processed foods.

“They are not all created equal,” Gabby Headrick, a nutrition researcher at George Washington University School of Public Health, told the AP. “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 not openly supported Kennedy's debunked vaccine conspiracy theories but has called for more study into vaccine safety and wants patients to be able to sue drug companies for vaccine injuries.

Since the 1980s, vaccine makers have had legal protections to ensure vaccine development continues.

If confirmed, Means would help lead the MAHA health agenda, which includes removing chemical additives from food, pushing for healthier school lunches and cutting conflicts of interest in federal health agencies.

Trump's original nominee, Nesheiwat, was pulled after far-right figures questioned her background, including her support for COVID vaccines and her medical degree from a Caribbean school.

Concerns were also raised about an ongoing malpractice case, the AP said in a report.

In a post on social media, Nesheiwat said she will continue to support Trump and help the administration in another senior health role.

The surgeon general is known as "the nation's doctor" and oversees the U.S. Public Health Service Corps. The position is also responsible for public health advisories on major health threats.

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted May 2025

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