Means’s views on the COVID vaccine, raw milk and fluoride have all been criticized by health care professionals
By Adam Kovac edited by Claire Cameron
Calley Means, co-founder of Truemed, at the Semafor World Economy Summit during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2025. Means recently resigned as a senior adviser to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Calley Means, a senior adviser to Secretary of Health and Humans Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and a key figure in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, has resigned.
In a post on X, Means said he was leaving the Trump administration “with tremendous respect for President Trump and Bobby Kennedy.”
“They laid out a vision of combatting the entrenched, dark forces in DC that profit from Americans getting sick,” Means wrote, touting MAHA achievements such as changing dietary guidelines, pushing forward psychedelic-based treatments and removing soda from SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, among others.
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A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Means, who has no experience as a health care professional, had previously worked in the private sector and founded the telehealth company Truemed, which works with customers to spend health savings account money on supplements and fitness equipment.
Many of Means’s views have come under fire from medical professionals, including his advocacy for drinking raw milk, which can contain harmful pathogens, opposition to fluoride in drinking water and description of COVID vaccines mandates for children as a “war crime.”
Means also played a key role in connecting Kennedy with Trump before the 2024 election, at a time when the two were both vying for the Oval Office. Kennedy ultimately endorsed Trump after dropping out of the race and was appointed to lead HHS in turn.
Means’s sister, Casey Means, a wellness influencer and former physician, was nominated by Trump for the role of surgeon general in May 2025. But her name was withdrawn this past April amid concerns over her stance on vaccines, abortion pills and alternative medicine.
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