Trump nominates Casey Means, MAHA influencer, for surgeon general

Isabella Cueto covers the leading causes of death and disability: chronic diseases. Her focus includes autoimmune conditions and diseases of the lungs, kidneys, liver (and more). She writes about intriguing research, the promises and pitfalls of treatment, and what can be done about the burden of disease. You can reach Isabella on Signal at isabellacueto.03.

The health entrepreneur and “Make America Healthy Again” leader Casey Means has been nominated to be the U.S. surgeon general after President Trump pulled his prior nominee suddenly on Wednesday. 

Means, an M.D. and author who runs a holistic wellness blog and co-founded the health tech company Levels, is the sister of Calley Means, an adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both Meanses have become key influencers in the MAHA world, with Casey lending her medical training and knowledge to the cause. 

Trump’s original nominee to the post of surgeon general was Janette Nesheiwat, a medical doctor and Fox News contributor. The White House withdrew her nomination a day before Nesheiwat was scheduled to appear before a key Senate committee. She came under fire in recent weeks for previous comments she’d made online in support of the Covid vaccine and masking during the pandemic. CBS News also reported that Nesheiwat received her medical degree from a school in the Caribbean, not, as she claimed, the University of Arkansas School of Medicine.

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