Trump picks Dr Casey Means, an in depth ally of Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, as nominee for key well being place.
United States President Donald Trump has chosen Physician Casey Means, a wellness influencer with shut ties to Well being Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, as his nominee for surgeon normal after withdrawing his earlier nominee.
In a social media submit on Wednesday, Trump mentioned that Means would work intently with RFK Jr, who’s his Health and Human Services secretary.
“Her tutorial achievements, collectively along with her life’s work, are completely excellent,” the submit states. “Dr Casey Means has the potential to be one of many best Surgeon Generals in United States Historical past.”
Means, who was an adviser on RFK Jr’s 2024 presidential run, is at the moment serving as an advisor to the White Home, and makes frequent appearances on TV and podcasts defending the administration’s strikes associated to well being and diet coverage.
She has no authorities expertise and dropped out of her surgical residency programme, stating that she had change into disillusioned with conventional medication.
She based an organization named Ranges that helps customers monitor blood strain and different well being metrics. She additionally makes cash from sponsoring numerous dietary dietary supplements and different merchandise that she says have well being advantages on her social media account.
Few well being specialists would dispute that the American weight-reduction plan, filled with processed meals, is a contributor to weight problems and associated issues. However Means goes additional, linking modifications in weight-reduction plan and life-style to a number of circumstances together with infertility, Alzheimer’s, despair and erectile dysfunction.
Members of the administration, corresponding to RFK Jr, have attacked measures corresponding to obligatory vaccinations and using fluoride in ingesting water, each practices that scientists and well being officers say have been extremely profitable public well being measures.
Assaults on such measures and conventional sources of scientific authority confirmed restricted, however energising, enchantment amongst a gaggle of core supporters in the course of the 2024 marketing campaign, tapping into distrust of medical experience in addition to frequent disillusionment with the US healthcare and meals manufacturing industries.
Critics say that appeals from figures like Trump and his allies faucet into respectable sources of concern whereas leaving their root causes largely unaddressed and concurrently rolling again environmental and well being protections.
The announcement comes after Trump withdrew his preliminary decide for the important thing well being submit, a medical contributor on Fox Information named Janette Nesheiwat, who had been scheduled for a affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday.
Nesheiwat had come below fireplace from far-right allies of the administration over her assist for the COVID-19 vaccine and allegations that she could have misrepresented her tutorial and medical college historical past.
