Casey Means Calley Surg Genl
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AN 11 26
Former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has come under fire after a former aide to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alleged in an interview Sunday that Wiles' lobbying firm, Ballard Partners, controlled the White House. Now, CBS News is reporting her firm cashed in $186 million during Trump's first two years in office.
Calley Means told "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the White House prioritized specific industries and corporations, like the sugar industry and big tobacco, while ignoring the president's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.
Means alleged Wiles blocked efforts to address issues like children’s sugar consumption because she needed donations from the industry for Republicans in the 2026 midterms. Meanwhile, her lobbying firm also pushed the pesticide glyphosate and worked on the approval of fruit-flavored vapes that capture new, young smokers.
The firm's huge profits "did not happen by accident," Means alleged.
Means, who resigned in October, also said Kennedy's anti-tobacco agenda ultimately stalled. Wiles and "her deputies were still relentlessly pushing HHS to find a pathway for fruit-flavored vapes," he said.
Big tobacco scored big in May "with new guidance that could let major tobacco companies sell flavored vapes," the CBS report said.
Brian Ballard, Wiles' partner, was a huge fundraiser for Trump. He explained in a statement Sunday that the firm's interactions with Wiles as chief of staff "have been limited and have been the exception, not the rule."
"Ballard Partners' more than $88 million in lobbying revenue last year was, at the time, the most any firm had reported since the Lobbying Disclosure Act took effect in 1996, even after adjusting for inflation," the CBS report said, citing an analysis of Senate lobbying disclosures. "Through the first three quarters of 2026, the firm has already surpassed that, reporting more than $98 million."
The money lobbying firms earn can change depending on the administration in power. Ballard Partners' close relationship to Trump through Wiles and Ballard would likely attract companies trying to win government contracts or influence regulations.
For a short time, Ballard was banned from the White House over its cryptocurrency lobbying, which reportedly irked officials. After helping raise $50 million for Trump's 2024 campaign, Ballard signed up "hundreds of clients, though its relationship with the administration," CBS News reported.
Axios reported that Ballard was ultimately able to clean up the relationships by May 2025, allowing him access to the White House again.
Top Wiles aide James Blair, was another target of Means, who said that the former deputy chief of staff was "relentless on helping the fruit-flavored vape industry."
Blair denied this online and to CBS, saying he did nothing of the sort and that his goal was to fast-track the FDA's rulings on "nicotine product applications."
"Calley is intentionally misrepresenting my role and my responsibility because he opposes the issue entirely," Blair added.
Trump's longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio was another Means attacked publicly, saying that he was helping pharmaceutical companies. Fabrizio called the allegations "ridiculous" and "demonstrably false."
One major problem for the Trump administration is that a key issue that helped usher in the so-called "blue tsunami" in the 2026 election came from those who addressed Washington corruption in their campaigns. Americans identified it as one of the top three most important issues in the six months leading up to the election.
"The Democrats are going to start investigations as soon as they're sworn in, and White House fighting about who was making money will just elevate the topic," commented Marc Short, who served as former Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff.
The feud has certainly drawn the attention of Congress. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calf.), the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said he will look into all of the claims around Wiles and others.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said that Means was nothing more than a "disgruntled former administration official." He made it clear that he has no intention of investigating Wiles or other administration employees. He told CNN's Dana Bash over the weekend that Means' allegations were merely "something that someone says on a podcast."
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MMA
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NOTE DEAR LEADER CAN NEVER FAIL, ONLY BE FAILED
throws wiles under bus, flavor vape
Joe Rogan and Calley Means suggest Trump was ignorant of his own DOJ’s intervention in the glyphosate case
Rogan has repeatedly raised concerns about the agrichemical glyphosate — though he gave Trump a pass after his administration supported the herbicide’s producer
MMA
November 6, 2026, episode of The Joe Rogan Experience
When Means said Trump hadn’t known his own Justice Department was supporting Bayer, Rogan called it “extraordinary” that unelected officials could push something through the Supreme Court “where the president doesn’t even know about it.”
MAHA activists have blamed the Trump administration for siding with Bayer, but Rogan and Means spun that decision into a grievance on Trump’s behalf.
But Trump was clearly part of the push to support the pesticide producers. On February 18, months before the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Roundup maker, the president signed an executive order declaring domestic production of glyphosate critical to national security and directed the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure that any rules did not put “the corporate viability of any domestic producer of elemental phosphorus or glyphosate-based herbicides at risk.”
Rogan later asked Kennedy about glyphosate during his February 27 show, and the secretary defended the order Trump signed, arguing that losing access to the herbicide would threaten the U.S. food system. On March 19, Rogan acknowledged that Trump had signed the order, then returned to warning about long-term glyphosate exposure without directly criticizing the president’s actions.
And the Trump administration also took Bayer’s side in the Roundup case. In March, Trump’s Justice Department urged the Supreme Court to side with the company over whether federal law barred John Durnell’s claim that Monsanto (which Bayer acquired in 2018) failed to warn consumers about Roundup’s cancer risks. In June, the Court ruled that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act “expressly preempts” the state law failure-to-warn claim, which would require Monsanto “to add a cancer warning to Roundup’s label.” The ruling reversed a lower court ruling that had upheld a jury award of more than $1 million.
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03/16/26 12:22 PM EDT
03/30/26 1:39 PM EDT
MAHA is outraged over Supreme Court ruling that shields Monsanto owner Bayer from cancer liability
06/26/26
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an 4 26
In recent months, President Donald Trump has received growing criticism from podcaster Joe Rogan due to a combination of the former's policies and dissatisfaction with the wider MAGA movement. Now, reports Axios, the White House is working “aggressively” to bring Rogan back into Trump’s corner.
Rogan’s last-minute endorsement of Trump in the final hours of the 2024 election is often cited as a key factor in determining the outcome, as the host’s podcast is not only the most popular in the world, but has particular sway among young men — a vital bloc in the president’s winning coalition. But in January, Rogan began criticizing Trump for the violent tactics of ICE, questions about the Epstein files, and the decision to launch war against Iran. This came as Rogan was also attacking MAGA in general, saying it is comprised of “weird,” “unintelligent dorks.” None of this bodes well for GOP electoral hopes with the midterms approaching fast.
In an attempt to win Rogan back, the White House has not only been maintaining contact behind the scenes, but has begun pushing policies the podcaster is particularly interested in.
Efforts to “build bridges” with Rogan have involved repeated visits from top administration officials. Vice President JD Vance met Rogan during an RNC fundraising stop in Austin, while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his advisor Calley Means have appeared on the podcast and maintained contact.
Then on Saturday, Rogan joined the president in the Oval Office for the signing of an executive order that will speed the federal review of psychedelic drugs used to treat severe mental illness. Rogan has been a major proponent of psychedelic therapy over the past decade, and while research and legalization efforts have gained traction in recent years, the executive order was a direct attempt by the administration to woo Rogan back to Trump’s favor.
In recent months, Trump has fallen out with many of his most high-profile, longest-running backers, such as Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones. As MAGA support erodes fast, maintaining Rogan as an ally may prove essential to holding on to the administration’s rapidly dwindling support.
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tfg on casey callie doge bro lannister vibe
surg resident quit
1st surg gen 86’d morn of conf bc not alab but carriv
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The RFK and Casey Means connection
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: In early 2025, during his confirmation process to become the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Kennedy stated that he was a beneficiary of a Medicare Advantage plan. He has publicly supported Medicare Advantage as a preferred option, though he was criticized for appearing to lack understanding of the federal funding mechanisms behind both it and Medicaid.
Dr. Casey Means: Means is a physician and wellness advocate who is involved with Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement. In May 2025, Kennedy defended Means after criticism over her appointment as Surgeon General. Her brother, Calley Means, co-founded the company Truemed, which works to route federal funds toward Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).
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AI Overview
The user's query refers to Calley Means, a healthcare reform advocate and political advisor, and his company, Truemed
. The query also references Medicare and HSAs (Health Savings Accounts), which are related to Means' work and his criticisms of the U.S. healthcare system. The phrase "rfk" refers to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Means has advised.
Here is a breakdown of the key terms and their context:
Calley Means
Identity: Calley Means is a healthcare reform advocate and a co-founder of the wellness company Truemed.
Political role: He has served as a special advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and has been involved in the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) initiative.
Criticism of the healthcare system: Means is known for criticizing what he sees as a corrupt U.S. healthcare system that profits from treating illness rather than promoting wellness.
Truemed
Function: Truemed is a telehealth platform that helps users get "Letters of Medical Necessity" (LMNs) from licensed practitioners.
HSA/FSA use: The LMNs allow customers to use their pre-tax Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) to pay for "proactive health investments" and wellness products that normally wouldn't qualify as medical expenses, such as gym memberships, supplements, and fitness equipment.
Controversy: Means' dual role as a political advisor and co-founder of Truemed has drawn criticism regarding potential conflicts of interest, as he advocates for policies that could financially benefit his company.
Medicare, Advantage, and HSA
Medicare Advantage: A type of Medicare health plan offered by private companies that contract with Medicare. Means and Kennedy have discussed Medicare Advantage and other healthcare reforms as alternatives to the current system, though Kennedy has stumbled on the details of government programs in the past.
HSAs (Health Savings Accounts): Tax-advantaged savings accounts that can be used for qualified medical expenses. Means has publicly stated his desire to redirect federal healthcare dollars, including those in Medicare, toward HSAs.
HSA and Medicare rules: Standard rules state that you cannot contribute to an HSA once you are enrolled in Medicare, though you can still use existing HSA funds for medical expenses, including some Medicare premiums. Truemed's business model works by expanding the types of goods and services eligible for HSA/FSA spending.
Overall meaning
The user's query links these related, yet distinct, concepts. It points to the overlap between Calley Means' wellness company, Truemed, which leverages HSAs, and his political advocacy alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which involves challenging the traditional healthcare establishment and discussing reforms related to programs like Medicare.
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RFK Jr. aide attacks U.S. health system as corrupt while ...
PBS
https://www.pbs.org › newshour › nation › rfk-jr-aide-a...
Jun 10, 2025 — “I want to get that $4.5 trillion of Medicare, Medicaid, everything into a flexible account.” Who benefits most from HSAs? Means' pitch for ...
Missing: trumed | Show results with: trumed
Takeaways from AP's report on financial interests of RFK Jr ...
AP News
https://apnews.com › article › calley-means-rfk-maha-w...
Jun 10, 2025 — Steering medical dollars into health savings accounts. Means says he has not worked on issues impacting HSAs since joining the federal ...
A Kennedy Aide's Start-Up Can Get You a Tax Break ...
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com › 2025/07/18 › business › tru...
Jul 18, 2025 — The start-up, called Truemed, helps people buy meat and mattresses with money that isn't subject to federal income tax. But does the tax ...
Missing: casey | Show results with: casey
Calley and Casey Means: Making chronic disease a ...
statnews.com
https://www.statnews.com › 2024/10/07 › calley-means...
Oct 7, 2024 — The chronic disease entrepreneurs, noticed by Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and RFK Jr., are offering health policy advice to Donald Trump.
Missing: trumed | Show results with: trumed
RFK Jr.: Casey Means left traditional medicine because it ...
The Hill
https://thehill.com › policy › healthcare › 5291915-rfk-...
May 9, 2025 — RFK Jr.: Casey Means 'walked away from traditional medicine because she was not curing patients' ... Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.
Missing: medicare | Show results with: medicare
The RFK Trojan Horse That No One Is Talking About
Reddit · r/thebulwark
10+ comments · 8 months ago
Casey runs a Marc Andreessen-backed startup called Levels. • Callie runs TrueMed, a company focused on HSA/FSA payments. In 2024, they co- ...
Donald Trump Taps Wellness Influencer Close to RFK Jr. ...
WTTW
https://news.wttw.com › 2025/05/07 › donald-trump-ta...
May 7, 2025 — President Donald Trump is tapping Dr. Casey Means, a physician-turned-wellness influencer with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. ...
Missing: medicare hsa
Who Is RFK Jr.'s Special Adviser Calley Means?
MedPage Today
https://www.medpagetoday.com › ... › Features
Apr 2, 2025 — The company helps patients get "letters of medical necessity" from TrueMed clinicians, which enable them to use health savings account and ...
Missing: medicare | Show results with: medicare
RFK Jr grilled on vaccine policies and healthcare fraud in ...
The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com › us-news › jun › rfk-con...
Jun 24, 2025 — US health secretary faced hours of questioning over budget cuts and accusations he lied to senators.
People also ask
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Does Robert Kennedy Jr. have any medical issues?
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RFK Jr Trashes 'Absurd Attacks' on Casey Means Amid ...
Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com › rfk-jr-attacks-casey-means-...
May 9, 2025 — "The attacks that Casey is unqualified because she left the medical system completely miss the point," the health secretary said.
Missing: medicare hsa
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an 5 25
On May 7, President Donald Trump nominated 37-year-old Casey Means — an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and supporter of his Make American Health Again (MAHA) movement — for U.S. surgeon general. Means is known for her new age-like views and shares some of his more controversial opinions, including being a promoter of raw milk.
Neither Means nor RFK Jr. are known for having a longtime association with far-right evangelical Christian fundamentalism. Kennedy was a Democrat until 2023, and Means' father Grady Means was an assistant to the late Nelson Rockefeller — who epitomized the moderate northeastern Rockefeller wing of the GOP during his years as governor or New York State and later, vice president under President Gerald Ford.
But Salon's Amanda Marcotte, in an article published on May 19, explains why RFK Jr. and Casey Means have become useful to the evangelical Christian Right agenda.
READ MORE:'I made a mistake': Here's what moved the bar for one former Trump supporter
"At first blush," Marcotte explains, "Casey Means seems like the last person Christian conservatives would want as the surgeon general. Donald Trump's new pick for the nation's top doctor, though she does not have a medical license, favors the occult-speak popular in the 'wellness' influencer world where she makes her money. As Kiera Butler and Anna Merlan at Mother Jones documented, Means veers 'in a more new age direction' in her 'medical' writing."
But Casey Means, Marcotte emphasizes, "is aligned with" the Christian Right "against an enemy they hate far more than Satan: feminists."
"Along with her shrines-and-moons talk, Means also wrote that she had shed 'my identity as a feminist,' giving up on wanting 'equality in a relationship' to instead embrace 'a completely different and greater power: the divine feminine," Marcotte observes. "It's woo-woo, but ultimately no different than the message promoted by conservative Christians: that a woman's role is as a man's helpmeet, not his equal."
Means and RFK Jr., according to Marcotte, have become unlikely but useful allies of the Christian Right and Trump's MAGA movement. And the Salon journalist points out that the Christian Right has been "getting witchier" in recent years because of "the rise of charismatic Christianity."
READ MORE:'OK, seriously. Come on!': MSNBC panel laughs off Trump accusation against ex-FBI director
"Casey and her brother, Calley Means, are tight with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy, which is why she got the surgeon general nod and her brother got a position as a 'special government employee' assisting Kennedy," Marcotte observes. "Kennedy has exploited the false perception that he's a liberal Democrat to bamboozle some people into thinking far-right health policies, such as slashing Medicaid, are 'moderate' positions. Like the Means siblings, he's also using his appeal to people outside the Religious Right as a way to launder Christian Right views."
Marcotte continues, "Last week, Kennedy ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to 'review' the legality of Mifepristone, a drug used to abort pregnancies. He said this was necessary due to 'new data,' which is actually a non-reviewed 'study' by a Christian Right organization falsely claiming abortion pills are dangerous — a 'study' that was immediately debunked by experts. Kennedy has a long history of embracing fake science while ignoring real science, but this is his first foray into doing it to cape for a cause that's primarily, if not exclusively, associated with the Religious Right."
READ MORE:Critics worry new Trump proposal would make it easier for him to exercise retribution
*Amanda Marcotte's full article for Salon is available at this link.
ref
:{at first blush, Casey Means seems like the last person Christian conservatives would want as the Surgeon General. Donald Trump's new pick for the nation's top doctor, though she does not have a medical license, favors the occult-speak popular in the "wellness" influencer world where she makes her money. As Kiera Butler and Anna Merlan at Mother Jones documented, Means veers "in a more New Age direction" in her "medical" writing.
"Perhaps the body is simply the material ‘radio receiver’ through which we can ‘tune in’ to the divine," she mused in her October newsletter, where she also speculated about "the vibration of humanity" and how the "future of medicine will be about light." In another, she wrote about how she found love after she built a "small meditation shrine in my house," performed "full moon ceremonies," and spoke with trees, "letting them know I was ready for partnership, and asking them if they could help."}:
Kennedy has a long history of embracing fake science while ignoring real science, but this is his first foray into doing it to cape for a cause that's primarily, if not exclusively, associated with the religious right.
One MAGA influencer, Laura Loomer, did try to make hay over this, but she's Jewish and so is largely ignored by the Christian right on matters like this. But Loomer isn't wrong that, in the past, this behavior would get the evangelical world all worked up over the evils of paganism and witchcraft. So far, however, they're mostly silent on the matter. That's likely because Means is aligned with them against an enemy they hate far more than Satan: feminists. Along with her shrines-and-moons talk, Means also wrote that she had shed "my identity as a 'feminist,'" giving up on wanting "'equality' in a relationship" to instead embrace "a completely different and greater power: the divine feminine." It's woo-woo, but ultimately no different than the message promoted by conservative Christians: that a woman's role is as a man's helpmeet, not his equal.
Christian conservatives know they have a branding problem. Increasing numbers of Americans in recent years are rejecting organized religion, seeing it as cruel, restrictive and close-minded. At the same time, interest in a more vague spirituality is on the rise, fueled by "wellness" influencers framing spirituality as a shortcut to worldly gains like money, fitness, and romance. The Christian right was always more interested in social control than in Jesus. Increasingly, they seem comfortable with reskinning their retrograde ideas with the aesthetics of woo-woo instead of Christianity, so long as it serves the goal of crushing social progress.
:{*:{Want more Amanda Marcotte on politics? Subscribe to her newsletter Standing Room Only.}:
Tucker Carlson is a good barometer of this. The internet show he started after he was fired from Fox News has an overtly Christian nationalist lean. He had Means on in September to spread lies meant to scare women out of using hormonal birth control. After Carlson falsely presented it as forbidden information with "you were not allowed to criticize the pill," Means fired off a rapid series of lies. She compared the birth control pill to "spraying of these pesticides" and said it was "literally shutting down the hormones in the female body that create this cyclical lifegiving nature." She said it's a "disrespect of life" to prevent pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, while recommending other women stay perpetually pregnant for their "health," Means appears to have no children.
The fantasy that there was some "natural" past era when people were healthier has a lot of appeal in some corners, and the Christian right is only too happy to exploit it to push a deeply anti-feminist message.
Part of the Christian right's comfort with a pagan-esque spin on their retrograde politics is that conservative Christianity has been getting witchier in recent years. That's due to the rise of charismatic Christianity, which has received a big boost by associating itself with Trump, who many charismatics regard as a holy figure fulfilling a prophecy. "It is a style of supernaturalist spirituality and miracle- and prophecy-based preaching that was fairly niche within American evangelicalism circa 2015," explained Dr. Matthew Taylor, a religious scholar at the Institute for Islamic-Christian-Jewish Studies. Charismatics emphasize practices that used to be fringe in American Christianity, such as "ideas of faith healing or miracles, prophecy, and the occult/demonic forces of opposition," are normalizing as charismatic Christianity surges, he added. Carlson, again, is a good barometer of this. He used to present as a staid mainline Episcopalian, but now he denounces that church and speaks of being "mauled by demons."
Casey and her brother, Calley Means, are tight with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy, which is why she got the surgeon general nod and her brother got a position as a "special government employee" assisting Kennedy. Kennedy has exploited the false perception that he's a liberal Democrat to bamboozle some people into thinking far-right health policies, such as slashing Medicaid, are "moderate" positions. Like the Means siblings, he's also using his appeal to people outside the religious right as a way to launder Christian right views.
Last week, Kennedy ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to "review" the legality of mifepristone, a drug used to abort pregnancies. He said this was necessary due to "new data," which is actually a non-reviewed "study" by a Christian right organization falsely claiming abortion pills are dangerous — a "study" that was immediately debunked by experts. Kennedy has a long history of embracing fake science while ignoring real science, but this is his first foray into doing it to cape for a cause that's primarily, if not exclusively, associated with the religious right.
Related
RFK's plan to make America healthy again? Send people with mental health conditions to farms
:{:{But it works for him because his "MAHA" slogan — short for "Make America Healthy Again" is based on the lie that Americans were healthier in the era before public health interventions like vaccines. That notion fits nicely with the long-standing, false Christian right claim that American women were better off before the pill was invented or abortion was legalized. It's all lies. In 1950, life expectancy for women was 71 years, and it's nearly 80 years now. Similarly, maternal and infant mortality declined throughout the 20th century, in large part because of contraception and legal abortion. }:
But the fantasy that there was some "natural" past era when people were healthier has a lot of appeal in some corners, and the Christian right is only too happy to exploit it to push a deeply anti-feminist message. Certainly, the "tradwife" trend on social media, which ties a naturalistic aesthetic to patriarchal gender roles, is part of this larger MAHA rebranding of the Christian right.}:
Nor are Christian conservatives merely riding the coattails of charlatans like Kennedy or the Means siblings. In January, Politico reported that Christian right groups are using "MAHA" packaging to claim that abortion pills are a water contaminant and must be banned under anti-pollution laws. “This is not because the environment was my first weapon of choice — it’s because it’s the one we have now,” Kristi Hamrick, the vice president of Students for Life of America, admitted. "And, frankly, I’m for using the devil’s own tools against them."
By "devil's tools," she means laws keeping air and water clean for living, breathing human beings, including the babies Christian conservatives falsely claim to care about. But lying is also a "devil's tool," and lying is very much what is going on here. There is not a shred of scientific evidence that women who miscarry at home from abortion pills and flush their very early pregnancies are contaminating the water supply. That thinking is more magical than scientific, as if the perceived "sin" of abortion could somehow transmit itself through water. But it's not surprising that anti-abortion activists think they can sell this nonsense in the RFK era, where "vibes" and conspiracy theories are replacing science-based medicine.
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