After several reports regarding résumé inflation sunk an already unsteady nominee for surgeon general, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was replacing her with a candidate aligned with the so-called “MAHA” movement.
According to the Washington Times, Dr. Casey Means — an adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a proponent of his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative — will replace Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general nominee.
Bloomberg first reported the move on Wednesday afternoon hours before the official announcement was made. The decision to withdraw apparently came from the White House and not from Nesheiwat herself.
“Casey has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Nesheiwat, a Fox News contributor, had already come under attack from conservatives for her support of certain aspects of transgender ideology.
“But the most important thing of all of this is no matter what gender your child identifies as, accept them and love them for who they are,” she said on Fox News in 2022, according to the Daily Signal.
She had also described the COVID-19 vaccine as a “gift from God,” something that put her at odds with many Trump administration health officials.
“I’m optimistic we are on our way to ending the needless loss of lives starting with the nothing short of miraculous coronavirus vaccine and the development of therapeutics,” she wrote in a 2021 Fox News piece.
“We have many vaccines in existence that treat a variety of non-life-threatening diseases,” she added, “but to have a COVID vaccine, i.e. a Pfizer or Moderna mRNA that will actually save you from dying is a gift from God.”
Is Dr. Means the right choice?
However, questions about her nomination intensified last month after reports that her claim to be a double board-certified physician with a degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine was inaccurate.
“Nesheiwat actually earned her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, in St. Maarten,” the Daily Signal noted.
Conservative influencer Laura Loomer had been one of the loudest voices calling for a “new nominee” to the position.
“I know @realDonaldTrump likes people who go on TV for some weird reason I will never understand (I still love him), but we can’t have a pro-COVID vaccine nepo appointee who is currently embroiled in a medical malpractice case and who didn’t go to medical school in the US as the US Surgeon General,” she wrote on X. “She is now being accused of lying about her medical credentials.”
We really need a new nominee for US Surgeon General.
I know @realDonaldTrump likes people who go on TV for some weird reason I will never understand (I still love him), but we can’t have a pro-COVID vaccine nepo appointee who is currently embroiled in a medical malpractice case… https://t.co/DkDbFZDqcS pic.twitter.com/6bEVmaLPZ1
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 5, 2025
As for the nepotism aspect of Loomer’s claim, Nesheiwat’s sister Julia is married to Mike Waltz — the former national security advisor who has now been moved to the current nominee for the considerably less prestigious position of United Nations ambassador, thanks mostly to the fact that he didn’t exactly understand that Apple’s Siri assistant doesn’t interact quite so smoothly with the encrypted Signal messaging app, much to Jeffrey Goldberg’s infinite (albeit overblown) delight.
As for Means: “Her academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding. Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History,” Trump said in his Truth Social post. “Congratulations to Casey! Secretary Kennedy looks forward to working with Dr. Janette Nesheiwat in another capacity at HHS. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Means, a holistic medicine physician who graduated from Stanford Medical School, is also the co-founder of Levels, which allows users to continually track their blood glucose levels, according to the Daily Beast.
“I saw how broken and exploitative the healthcare system is and left to focus on how to keep people out of the operating room,” Means’ website states.
It’s unclear what post Nesheiwat will take at HHS — although presumably, her office won’t be that close to Secretary Kennedy’s.
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