Calley Means Resigns as Senior Adviser to Health Secretary Kennedy
WASHINGTON — Calley Means, a senior adviser to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resigned on October 22. Means announced his departure from the Trump administration in a post on X, saying he was leaving "with tremendous respect for President Trump and Bobby Kennedy." (GSM, based on reporting by Reuters, CNN and The Wall Street Journal)
In his statement, Means cited progress by the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement, including revised federal dietary guidelines, advancing psychedelic-based treatments and removing soda from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). "This movement is in the first inning and just getting started," he wrote, adding that he would keep working to advance the MAHA agenda outside government.
According to multiple people familiar with his decision who spoke to the media, Means had grown frustrated with delays to several food-policy priorities: a federal definition of ultra-processed foods and a school-meal rule requiring less added sugar and more protein had both been repeatedly postponed amid industry concerns. This month, a coalition of MAHA activists released a scorecard saying the administration had failed to meet most of its promises on restricting pesticides and promoting healthier food.
Means co-founded the health technology company Truemed and co-wrote the 2024 book "Good Energy" with his sister, Casey Means, becoming one of the MAHA movement's most prominent voices. He is widely credited with introducing Kennedy to Trump during the 2024 campaign, an introduction that preceded Kennedy ending his independent presidential bid and endorsing Trump.
Inside the government, Means first served as a special government employee from March to October 2025, then became a permanent senior adviser in November 2025 supporting food and nutrition policy. His work included revising the dietary guidelines, restricting sugary-drink purchases under SNAP, removing artificial food dyes, reforming the Food and Drug Administration's Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) framework and improving federal food procurement. His sister Casey Means was nominated to serve as surgeon general, a nomination that was later withdrawn.
HHS and the White House did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Calley Means 在公开活动上演讲（资料图）。Photo: Calley Means speaking at a public event (file photo). Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
