WASHINGTON (AP) — Calley Means, a top adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a leading advocate of the Make America Healthy Again movement, resigned from his post in the Trump administration on Thursday.
In a statement, Means did not explain why he was leaving. His departure comes as prominent voices in the MAHA movement have expressed dissatisfaction with what they see as the Trump administration’s lack of progress on various issues, including food safety and regulation of the weedkiller glyphosate.
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Means said he “leaves with tremendous respect” for President Donald Trump and Kennedy.
“The past two years have seen a historic political and cultural shift to address the chronic disease crisis and health care incentives that profit from our illness,” Means said. “This movement is in its first round and is just getting started.”
Means was hired as a White House adviser at the start of the second Trump administration. He used his seat at the Department of Health and Human Services to attack the nation’s leading doctors’ groups, federal agencies and government scientists, claiming they were only protecting their own interests.
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White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said the Trump administration is “grateful” for Means’ time and “he has done a fantastic job for the MAHA movement.” A Health and Human Services representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Health activist Kelly Ryerson, leader of American Regeneration and also known as Glyphosate Girl on social media, said she was “impressed that he spent over two years at HHS fighting the food battle, despite all the obstacles presented by corporate interests.”
“At the heart of MAHA is a shared belief that the nation’s health should not be sacrificed for corporate profit and that a preventable slide toward chronic disease poses a threat to America itself,” she said.
Means is the brother of wellness influencer, author and entrepreneur Dr. Casey Means, who was not confirmed as surgeon general earlier this year after doubts were raised about his vaccine stance.
Means, along with his sister, rose to prominence within the MAHA movement by arguing that ultra-processed foods, additives and pesticides could be blamed for many of the chronic health problems facing Americans.
Means brought these arguments into the Trump administration and frequently clashed with senior White House officials who feared alienating the powerful food industry.
At the same time, Means’ focus on food was a source of frustration for other figures in the MAHA movement who wanted to see Kennedy focus on “medical freedom” issues. For many, that meant rolling back federal recommendations and approvals for vaccines.
Despite Means’ efforts, the administration’s progress on food reforms has been slow.
Kennedy had promised the publication in April of the government’s first-ever definition of ultra-processed foods. Instead, Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said at a conference that month that defining the class “is really difficult.”
In August, Kennedy aides again suggested that a major announcement on the issue was imminent. Instead, the announcement focused on a proposal bringing greater control to food additives. He made only a passing mention of ultra-processed foods.
Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America, said Means will be missed by her organization, which runs local and national campaigns warning about the pollution, water consumption and electricity costs associated with data center construction.
Honeycutt said Means “brought an energy and fearlessness to the Hill, fighting for healthy food for our children in schools and for the health of America.”
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