MAHA adviser who introduced RFK Jr. to Trump quits admin amid frustrations over food policy

By Sarah Owermohle, Adam Cancryn, CNN

(CNN) — Calley Means, a prominent figure in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, resigned from his position as a senior Trump health official on Thursday over frustrations with the government’s progress tackling chronic disease, according to multiple people familiar with his decision.

Means confirmed his departure in a statement, that he is resigning “with tremendous respect for President Trump and Bobby Kennedy.”

A top adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Means’ exit comes mounting frustration from MAHA supporters over government inaction on ultraprocessed foods and pesticides.

It represents the latest blow to the political alliance between the president’s “Make America Great Again” base and Kennedy’s MAHA voters, who helped power Trump to the White House in 2024, only for them to grow increasingly disillusioned as their key food and health priorities stalled.

This month, a coalition of MAHA activists released a “scorecard” claiming the administration had failed most of its promises to restrict pesticide use, promote healthier foods and break up special interests in Washington.

Means, who was widely credited with introducing Kennedy to Trump – eventually leading the former to endorse him and end up in his Cabinet – had served as one of Kennedy’s closest outside advisers before officially joining the administration. He held a temporary role at the White House, then later became a top adviser at HHS. Trump nominated his sister, Casey Means, as surgeon general, though this was later withdrawn.

MAHA unhappy with delays

Means, who had championed Trump as a candidate willing to overhaul the government’s approach to food and health regulation, grew increasingly frustrated over delays in advancing a series of policies at the center of the MAHA agenda, three people familiar with the matter said.

Trump health officials had initially hoped that policies, including an effort to create a definition for ultraprocessed foods, would be finalized well before the midterm elections. Instead, they’ve faced continued delays in the White House and sharp pushback from major agriculture industry groups.

Means decided to quit primarily because of those delays, the people familiar with his thinking said.

He is the latest in a string of senior health officials who have quit or been fired in recent months as voters soured on Kennedy’s controversial vaccine policies and the White House sought to pivot its health agenda toward more popular policy priorities.

In August, Means stood alongside Kennedy at an HHS event where the secretary promised a slew of policies aimed at cracking down on artificial food dyes, sweeteners and other additives in popular foods.

But their announcement stopped short of requiring food manufacturers to prove their ingredients are safe – a long-held priority for MAHA advocates.

The delay has stoked anger among MAHA advocates promising retribution at the ballot box.

Means, in a post on X, said that Kennedy and Trump “laid out a vision of combatting the entrenched, dark forces in DC that profit from Americans getting sick” and have made significant progress in the past two years. “More policy and cultural change has happened around these goals in the past 2 years than any time in history - and I know this movement is just getting started,” he wrote.

Allison Schuster, a spokesperson for the White House, said: “We are grateful for Calley Means’ time in the Trump Administration. He has done a fantastic job for the MAHA movement.”

Kelly Ryerson, a MAHA advocate known for her activism on pesticides, said of Means: “I am impressed that he completed over two years at HHS fighting the food battle, despite all of the obstacles presented by corporate interests.”

“Sophisticated legal roadblocks and political shenanigans designed to appease corporate interests have made progress nearly impossible,” Ryerson added. “Big Food and Big Ag only continue to survive by owning our elected officials and regulators, and they are currently succeeding.”

“It’s devastating, but had to be done,” Alex Clark, an influencer who runs a popular MAHA-themed podcast for Turning Point USA, said, referring to Means’ exit. “I would have had no choice but to leave too.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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