Calley Means, a senior adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resigned Thursday amid frustrations that the Make America Healthy Again agenda has stalled at the White House.
Means was one of MAHA’s staunchest allies within the Trump administration and his departure, less than two weeks before the midterm elections, comes as many of the movement’s adherents say they are disappointed with the White House.
Although the administration has helped MAHA achieve notable victories over the past two years, those victories have been largely overshadowed by moves to support the pesticide industry and broken promises on food policy – both of which have been huge disappointments for the movement.
In a statement, Means said he was proud of the work he had accomplished in the administration. He praised Kennedy and Trump for fighting against “a corrupt Washington, D.C. bureaucracy.”
“I leave with tremendous respect for President Trump and RFK – two historical figures determined to take on a corrupt Washington, D.C. bureaucracy that is doing everything it can to protect the status quo,” Means said. “The past two years have seen historic political and cultural shifts to address the chronic disease crisis and health care incentives that profit from our illness. This movement is only just beginning.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Means’ departure comes amid his growing frustration with what he sees as a lack of progress on MAHA’s priorities, according to two administration officials, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to describe his thinking. The breaking point arrived this week. Means had planned to meet with Kennedy and White House officials to discuss the definition of ultra-processed foods, a MAHA priority. This meeting, first reported by POLITICOwas postponed.
MAHA has prioritized establishing a definition of ultra-processed foods because they hope it will pave the way for eventual regulation of sweeteners and additives in the American diet.
“This is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said one of the two administration officials. “Calley has pushed very, very hard for this, but it has been a very opaque process and has been continually blocked.”
Means, a wellness entrepreneur, worked on Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign and the secretary credits him with helping pave the way for Kennedy’s eventual endorsement of Trump. This unlikely alliance brought thousands of MAHA voters into President Donald Trump’s coalition and secured Kennedy a spot in the Cabinet.
Means, who first served as a White House adviser and then became a senior adviser at HHS, was heavily involved in the Trump administration’s early food policy victories, including revamping dietary guidelines, getting a handful of major candy and food companies to voluntarily remove artificial colors from their products, and restricting unhealthy beverages from food stamp coverage in 17 states. He also worked on an executive order, signed by Trump in April, that directed federal agencies to strengthen research efforts on psychedelic medicine and increase nutrition courses taught at medical schools.
But many MAHA supporters felt the movement lost momentum in February when Trump signed an executive order to increase production of the herbicide glyphosate. MAHA activists have long argued that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is poisoning the food supply and leading to an increase in chronic diseases.
Bayer, the producer of Roundup, had warned the Trump administration It could halt U.S. production of the widely used weedkiller due to growing lawsuits claiming the product causes cancer. Bayer had also raised concerns about the regulatory uncertainty caused by MAHA’s requests. The Trump administration has argued that glyphosate is necessary to secure the food supply chain, citing national security risks.
The administration also supported Bayer in a Supreme Court case to protect the company from further lawsuits — a move that sparked protests from MAHA in court. The company won the case in June.
MAHA advocates such as Vani Hari and Kelly Ryerson, outspoken allies of Kennedy and Means, argued that the administration’s actions favored corporate interests over MAHA voters, call it a punch that the movement has there is still time to get over it.
Means, at the time, said that he and Kennedy extremely disappointed with the policybut defended the “complicated” balance between maintaining the status quo for farmers while seeking alternative farming methods.
In recent months, this disappointment has increased. Means believed that special interests were dominating within the White House and thwarting the MAHA program, according to the first administration official, who cited “the fallout of support for MAHA initiatives in the White House.”
“There are a lot of presidential promises within the MAHA movement that have been pretty blatantly overturned by special interests, and that entirely explains his decision to step down and resign,” the official said.
The second administration official noted Means’ “frustration” with recent attempts to implement a school meal rule limit unhealthy ingredients in cafeterias.
“This has been continually delayed due to industry concerns,” the official said.
Means is the latest Kennedy ally to leave the administration.
Marty Makary, former FDA commissioner resigned in May following several high-level staff departures under his tenure and disagreements with the West Wing over flavored vapes. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s top regulator for vaccines, left the country in April following a messy dispute with right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer.
Kennedy’s attempts to replace departed leaders with other MAHA supporters demonstrated the limits of MAHA’s political power. Means’ sister, Casey Means, well known in MAHA circles for a book she wrote with Calley on chronic illness, was nominated for surgeon general but failed to get enough Republican votes to be confirmed.
Instead, MAHA supporters have seen the White House move away from choices that represent their interests, in recent months nominating nominees. with more traditional environments as Erica Schwartz, CDC Director And Nicole Saphier, candidate for the position of surgeon general. And the president’s recent pick for FDA commissioner, Heidi Overton, sparked a wave of negative reactions from MAHA on the work of the White House advisor on the presidential executive order on glyphosate.
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