Trump pulls surgeon general nomination, announces new choice

WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he planned to nominate Dr. Casey Means to serve as his surgeon general after he withdrew the nomination of his previous choice, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat.

“Casey has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the Make America Healthy Again movement.

Means, a wellness influencer who earned a medical degree from Stanford University and frequently casts doubt on the American medical system, is the co-author of “Good Energy,” a book about chronic illness. The book, which she wrote with her brother, argues that metabolic dysfunction is at the root of a chronic disease epidemic. Means has pointed to rising rates of infertility, obesity, diabetes, depression and other conditions as signs that the United States is undergoing a health crisis, and pointed at environmental factors and the food system as possible culprits.

Her brother, Calley Means, is a top adviser to Kennedy, and the siblings have been prominent supporters of Kennedy’s policy efforts. They became especially popular among conservatives after they appeared on Tucker Carlson’s podcast in August, and Trump and Joe Rogan discussed them in October on Rogan’s podcast.

When Kennedy was sworn in as the new health secretary, Casey Means wrote on social platform X that he “has a vision for the future that aligns with what I want for my family, future children, and the world.”

Means’ website says she earned her bachelor’s and medical degrees from Stanford before dropping out of her residency program in surgery. She is the co-founder of Levels, a digital health company that uses continuous glucose monitoring to help track metabolic health.

Trump said Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor, would work with Kennedy “in another capacity” at the health and human services department.

Nesheiwat was scheduled to appear before the Senate health committee Thursday, but her nomination ran into trouble on two fronts. Laura Loomer, a conservative activist whom Trump has listened to on other personnel matters, called for a new surgeon general nominee, arguing . Nesheiwat “is not ideologically aligned” with the president. Reports have also raised questions about the veracity of Nesheiwat’s resume.

She is the sister-in-law of Michael Waltz, who served as Trump’s national security adviser until last week. The president said he would nominate Waltz to be the ambassador to the United Nations.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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