Top health adviser and MAHA ally quits Trump admin

On Thursday, Calley Means, a prominent health entrepreneur and ally of the Major Advocacy for Health Agenda (MAHA) within the Trump administration, resigned from his senior adviser position. This move, occurring just two weeks prior to the midterm elections, highlights the dissatisfaction within the MAHA base regarding the administration's pace of change in food policy and its stances on matters such as pesticide usage.

Means cited "entrenched, dark forces in DC" in a statement on X, while expressing his respect for President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vision for change. His resignation followed the administration's efforts to reform dietary guidelines, promote psychedelic therapies, prohibit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for sugary drinks, and encourage food companies to eliminate artificial dyes and additives from their products.

The Department of Health and Human Services had not yet provided a response to inquiries regarding Means' departure. Underlying tensions between MAHA supporters and the administration had risen to a boiling point in February when Trump issued an executive order aiming to boost domestic production of glyphosate, a widely used herbicide.

Kennedy and others close to the movement had argued that pesticides were contributing to Americans' ill health. However, agricultural interests contended that restricting their use would lead to increased food prices and result in billions of dollars in losses for farmers. Means' sister, Casey, a nutrition influencer, had been nominated for the position of surgeon general by Trump in the previous year but withdrew her nomination in April after facing a stalled confirmation process in the Senate.