Nicole Shanahan is so alarmed by the sudden nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General that she’s now claiming Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. either “clearly lied” to her or someone “is controlling” Kennedy’s decisions.
A day before former Fox News pundit Dr. Janette Nesheiwat was scheduled to appear at a Senate confirmation hearing, President Donald Trump pulled her as his nominee to be the nation’s top doctor. The withdrawal comes amid concerns that Nesheiwat embellished her credentials, as well as growing anger among Trump loyalists over her support for vaccinations.
Means, whom the president said “has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials,” has been a close ally of Kennedy’s and rose to prominence in recent years as a “wellness influencer” and a practitioner of so-called “functional medicine.” Along with her brother Calley, a former food industry lobbyist who now serves as a White House health adviser, Means appeared on former Fox News star Tucker Carlson’s show last year – which ended up being the most-watched podcast episode of 2024.
While she has echoed much of Kennedy’s skepticism about vaccines and how unhealthy food is the cause of many of Americans’ health issues, Means’ nomination has also come under scrutiny from Trump supporters over her lack of medical qualifications. She currently doesn’t have an active medical license, having never completed her training as an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon after graduating from Stanford University’s medical school.
Shanahan, who was Kennedy’s running mate during the Department of Health and Human Services chief’s aborted independent presidential campaign, reacted to the growing criticism over the Means’ pick by claiming that Kennedy vowed the Good Energy author wouldn’t have a role in the administration.
“Yes, it’s very strange. Doesn’t make any sense. I was promised that if I supported RFK Jr. in his Senate confirmation that neither of these siblings would be working under HHS or in an appointment (and that people much more qualified would be),” she tweeted on Tuesday night, reacting to an anti-vax doctor’s concerns over the nomination.
“I don't know if RFK very clearly lied to me, or what is going on,” Shanahan continued. “It has been clear in recent conversations that he is reporting to someone regularly who is controlling his decisions (and it isn't President Trump).”
She then took an additional shot at both Casey and Calley Means, claiming that “there is something very artificial and aggressive about them, almost like they were bred and raised Manchurian assets.”
MAGA extremist Laura Loomer, whose criticism of Neishewat for promoting “the dangerous Covid vaccine” may have played a role in the withdrawn nomination, also has sounded off on the Means pick.
“How is the top doctor in the U.S. supposed to give medical guidance and advice to the nation when she doesn't even have an active medical license in the state where she allegedly practiced medicine?” Loomer griped on X . “Does Casey Means even have an active medical license in any state?? This is so embarrassing for the Trump administration.”
She added in another post: “It is worth noting that Casey Means doesn't have a surgical residency, and isn't a surgeon. The term Surgeon General is interesting given the fact that there is no requirement to be a Surgeon to be Surgeon General. Turns out you can be a social media influencer and become Surgeon General.”
Means has also taken heat from some of Kennedy’s “MAHA” base over the perception that she is not skeptical enough about vaccines, something prominent anti-vax influencer Dr. Robert Malone acknowledged, saying she’s not been “sufficiently vocal, early enough, in rejecting the mRNA vaccine products.”
Still, the “wellness influencer” has declared that it is “criminal” to require vaccinations and that she supports Kennedy “relentlessly pushing for vaccine safety,” adding that “the current extreme and growing vaccine schedule” could be the cause of health problems in children. “This needs to be investigated,” Means said, echoing Kennedy’s rhetoric.
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