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After successfully lobbying President Donald Trump to push out national security aides, right-wing agitator Laura Loomer may have picked a fight she can’t win: against Casey Means, the president’s newest pick for US surgeon general.
Loomer sparked a social media firestorm on the right on Thursday by attacking Means, the sister of Calley Means — a top adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Those online jabs came as Kennedy’s former presidential running mate, Nicole Shanahan, suggested Kennedy is “reporting to someone” other than Trump and said she was “promised” neither Means sibling would “be working under HHS or in an appointment.”
For the moment, some both close to and inside the Trump administration are dismissing the Loomer-led pushback against Casey Means. One person close to the White House described the attacks as merely “social media masturbation,” arguing that Loomer (who has a contentious relationship with many inside the White House, even as Trump remains a fan) doesn’t have internal support to take down Trump’s new surgeon general pick.
White House spokesman Kush Desai said that Trump’s 2024 win was partly driven by “Making America Healthy Again” — a Kennedy-driven catchphrase that Casey Means championed online before it became intertwined with Trumpism. And he defended her nomination.
“Dr. Casey Means has the ideal balance of elite credentials without the baggage of being beholden to a corrupt healthcare system that has profited from America’s chronic disease epidemic,” Desai said.
Perhaps most critically, Casey Means may find it easier to get confirmed after Kennedy got through the Senate despite GOP wariness over vaccine criticism similar to her own. While several senators said they were unfamiliar with Means after the abrupt withdrawal of former surgeon general pick Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, others struck a positive note.
“She’s got a lot of good things to say, from my standpoint,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who added that he was aware of Loomer and Shanahan attacking Means: “I guess that’s the president’s headache, in terms of who he’s appointing and the reaction people give to his appointments.”
Johnson said he thought Means could be confirmed but cautioned: “I don’t know, I thought Ed Martin would get confirmed” — a reference to the federal prosecutor nominee forced to withdraw on Thursday amid Republican opposition.
Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., read Means’ book last year and said her nomination is “great … having read the Means’ family book that they wrote, my wife and I had already been heading down that path of holistic health.” He said he hadn’t met her yet, though.
Trump said Thursday that Kennedy hand-picked Casey Means for the job (adding that he doesn’t “know her” well). She also has allies inside the administration: Vince Haley, the quiet but influential official leading the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, helped incorporate “Make America Healthy Again” into the Trump campaign machinery.
The Means siblings are in lockstep on issues like opposing Ozempic prescriptions for children, reining in ultraprocessed foods, and more — all goals Calley Means touted last month during a discussion with Semafor. They also wrote a book together.
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Many of Trump’s closest confidants and allies praised Trump’s decision to tap Casey Means: Donald Trump Jr. called it an “excellent pick”; Roger Stone said Means is “a truly great appointment”; Charlie Kirk praised the pick as “phenomenal”; Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said she’s “excelled in every endeavor she has undertaken.”
Loomer, alongside Shanahan, quickly pushed back; Loomer said Means is “a terrible pick,” adding: “I would call her a Witch Doctor, but she doesn’t even have a valid active medical license.”
Loomer did not respond to a request for comment.
The person close to the White House argued Shanahan has less relevance internally than during the campaign, describing her as no longer as involved, or as influential in Kennedy’s decision-making, as she used to be.
Meanwhile, other senators said they were not quite sure why Nesheiwat was withdrawn. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he didn’t have any objections to Nesheiwat.
“I am perplexed as to why the first nominee was withdrawn, I’ve seen no explanation for that and I don’t know who Dr. Casey Means is. So when I saw the Truth Social announcement of it, the whole thing was just baffling to me,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Both Collins and Paul serve on the Senate’s primary health committee.
Dave Weigel contributed.