Calley Means, the health entrepreneur who served as a prominent internal voice for the Make America Healthy Again agenda within the federal government, announced his resignation from his senior adviser post on Thursday. His departure comes just two weeks before the midterm elections and brings to light underlying frictions between the administration and the grassroots movement’s core supporters.
In a statement published on the social media platform X, Means pointed to what he described as entrenched, dark forces in Washington. At the same time, he expressed tremendous respect for the vision laid out by President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Regarding health and dietary transformation. During his tenure, Means championed several key administration initiatives aimed at shifting national health policy, including efforts to overhaul federal dietary guidelines and advance psychedelic therapies.
Means also pointed to administrative steps aimed at restricting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being used to purchase sugary drinks, alongside working to persuade major food corporations to voluntarily remove artificial dyes and other chemical additives from their products. The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding his resignation.
The exit follows a period of mounting policy friction between the administration and staunch supporters of the movement, particularly concerning agricultural and environmental regulations. Tensions notably escalated in February following an executive order issued by President Trump designed to increase domestic production of glyphosate, a widely used weed killer. While Kennedy and other movement allies argued that agricultural pesticides contribute significantly to chronic illness, powerful agricultural interests countered that restricting such chemicals would inflate consumer food prices and cost American farmers billions of dollars.
The departure also follows earlier personnel turbulence surrounding the broader network of health advocates aligned with the administration. Last year, President Trump nominated Means’ sister, nutrition influencer Casey Means, for the position of surgeon general. However, that nomination was ultimately withdrawn in April after her confirmation process stalled in the United States Senate.
