WASHINGTON — A top Make America Healthy Again adviser to the Trump administration has resigned, less than two weeks before a midterm election that may serve as a referendum on the MAHA movement.
Calley Means, who joined the administration first as a close adviser to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and then in the White House, confirmed his departure to STAT. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
“I leave with tremendous respect for President Trump and RFK — two historic figures who are committed [sic] confronting a corrupt DC bureaucracy that is doing everything possible to protect the status quo,” Means said in a statement shared with STAT.
“The past two years have seen historic policy and cultural change to confront the chronic disease crisis and healthcare incentives that profit from us being sick. This movement is in the first inning and just getting started,” he continued.
He didn’t say why he was leaving.
The departure of such a vocal supporter of Kennedy’s agenda puts the MAHA movement on even shakier ground ahead of the elections. With just under two weeks to go, the movement has struggled to find a financial or messaging foothold, with mixed messaging and some candidates lagging behind in the polls. Means, from his perch, had pushed back on characterizations that the MAHA movement was faltering, serving as an insider voice witnessing Kennedy at work.
Even prior to joining the administration, Means had been an explosive figure in the MAHA world. He and sister Casey Means gained fame in conservative circles for speaking out against corporate interests in the health care system following the death of their mother, with their 2024 book “Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health.” Means later was an adviser for Kennedy’s presidential campaign before joining the administration when Kennedy became health secretary.
Casey Means was nominated for surgeon general, but that nomination was pulled after senators expressed concern with her lack of medical experience.
While with the administration, Calley Means was a driving force behind the MAHA agenda as a whole, including a report on chronic disease that included AI-driven errors, and a White House-led effort to expand access to psychedelics. He has been a big supporter of state efforts to limit junk food for SNAP recipients and the remaking of the food pyramid.
Prior to joining the administration, Means was the founder of Truemed, which allows tax-advantaged funds in accounts like FSAs and HSAs to be used to purchase health and wellness products.