Image by Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty / Futurism
“Make America Healthy Again” diehards are fuming about president Donald Trump’s pick for surgeon general, Casey Means — and it’s for a brain-meltingly stupid reason.
It’s not because Means, a self-styled “wellness influencer,” doesn’t have an active medical license, never finished her surgical residency, or is an advocate of unproven “alternative” medicines and other pseudoscientific claims. Nor is it because she has previously suggested there’s a link between vaccines and autism, or talked to trees and engaged in moon rituals to find love.
It’s because Means — who once said that vaccine mandates are “criminal” — isn’t going far enough as an anti-vaxxer, Wired reports.
After Trump announced Wednesday on Truth Social his new pick for the job as the country’s leading doctor, prominent voices in the health-conspiracy-addled cohort of the MAGA movement let the world know that they weren’t happy with Means, citing disqualifying skeletons in her closet, such as allegedly getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The new Trump nominee for US Surgeon General took the COVID JAB, so how can she be a representative for MAHA?” tweeted Laura Loomer, a relentless culture warrior and conspiracy theorist, on Thursday. “How can you be MAHA when the original MAHA movement was created by parents of vaccine injured children, and then reignited by people who were anti-COVID vaccine?”
“She’s not a health freedom advocate,” echoed notorious anti-vaxxer Mike Adams in a tweet on Wednesday. “She’s not a vaccine truther. She’ll never recommend natural cancer cures or remedies. She’s basically cosplaying as a MAHA champion. In reality, she is an establishment pick, and she’ll push the establishment narrative. 100 percent guaranteed. Count on it.”
The backlash illustrates how highly strung the MAHA movement is right now. Many of its professed followers are still reeling from the betrayal by their hero and current secretary of health and human services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To them, he turned coat by doing the bare minimum of recommending the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to curb one of the worst measles outbreaks in the country in a quarter century.
It’s also a perfect encapsulation of just how extreme the movement’s views can get. As mentioned above, Means has expressed plenty of classic anti–vaccine beliefs, and has support within the MAHA movement, including from the big man himself.
“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 in his post.
But that’s the thing about predicating a movement on extreme beliefs and conspiratorial thinking: it’ll never be extreme enough.
For saner voices, there’s a pretty clear-cut reason why Means shouldn’t get the job, even discounting her wacky beliefs, and that’s her lapsed medical license.
“A medical license requires that the individual maintains her medical knowledge through mandatory continuing medical education,” Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health law at Georgetown University, told NPR. “She is not licensed and therefore should be ineligible to become surgeon general of the United States.”
More on the Trump administration: Trump Admin Cancels Programs to Protect Children From Toxic Chemicals