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Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Faces Backlash Over Credentials and MAHA Divisions

Dr. Casey Means, with an inactive medical license and ties to RFK Jr., draws bipartisan Senate scrutiny and criticism from far-right activists as her nomination awaits confirmation.

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WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 12: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks alongside President Donald Trump during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Do We Even Need a Surgeon General?
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Overview

  • President Trump nominated Dr. Casey Means, a wellness entrepreneur and advocate for holistic health, as U.S. Surgeon General following the withdrawal of his first nominee, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat.
  • Means’s nomination highlights the influence of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who strongly recommended her to Trump, despite her unconventional qualifications and inactive medical license.
  • The nomination has exposed deep divisions within the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, with some members questioning Means’s vaccine skepticism and ideological alignment.
  • Far-right activist Laura Loomer and other critics have labeled Means unfit for the role, citing her lack of clinical experience, use of alternative medicine practices, and lapsed medical credentials.
  • RFK Jr. and Trump have defended Means, framing her as a reformist voice who challenges traditional public health systems, as Senate confirmation proceedings loom.