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An influencer evangelist spreading Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s MAHA agenda won\u2019t be America\u2019s next surgeon general.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Close Kennedy ally Casey Means is no longer Trump\u2019s nominee for the role, and the president announced on Thursday that he would push for Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist who specializes in breast cancer, to serve as the country\u2019s top doctor instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After she was nominated, Means faced questions about her track record on vaccines, children\u2019s health, and her own qualifications for the role, which is historically held by a practicing physician.Her nomination ultimately stalled out after facing opposition from Republicans who refused to back her for the role, including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski .\u00a0<\/p>\n
Means, a 38-year-old wellness influencer who does not currently hold an active medical license, graduated from Stanford medical school but left her surgical residency program early. Means said she abandoned her training to \u201cfocus on the real root causes of why Americans are so sick,\u201d which for her meant co-founding a health startup for monitoring blood glucose and cashing in<\/a> on the social media wellness craze through paid promotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Trump\u2019s former surgeon general nominee reined in some of her more extreme views after being tapped for the role, but the internet lives forever. Prior to being scrutinized as a soon-to-be high ranking government official, Means slammed<\/a> the widespread use of hormonal birth control as a \u201cdisrespect of life,\u201d called the practice of giving newborns the hepatitis B vaccine \u201cabsolute insanity\u201d and derided Americans\u2019 use of GLP-1 medications \u2013 a stated health priority of Trump himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even with her nomination clearly on the rocks, Kennedy remained all-in on Means. \u201cCasey Means is the most articulate, eloquent and erudite evangelist for the MAHA movement,\u201d Kennedy declared last month during a House committee hearing, calling on lawmakers to throw their weight behind her.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s new nominee might not be Kennedy\u2019s preferred pick, but she did write a book<\/a> titled \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d back in 2020. In that book and others, Saphier emphasizes the power of lifestyle changes like diet and exercise, two major areas of emphasis for the MAHA movement. Unlike Means, Saphier is a practicing doctor, a plus that Trump is emphasizing given Means\u2019 lack of credentials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nMoving beyond means\u00a0<\/h2>\n