Kennedy defends Casey Means' nomination for surgeon general amid backlash

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday defended Casey Means' nomination for surgeon general on social media, after the nomination faced serious backlash.

President Donald Trump nominated Means for the post after withdrawing Janette Nesheiwat's nomination over allegations she inflated her credentials by claiming she had a degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine, when she actually graduated from a medical school in the Caribbean instead and did her residency in Arkansas. 

Means has largely been criticized over her reputation as a "wellness influencer" and her lack of experience in public health administration. Means graduated from Stanford medical school, but dropped out of her surgical residency as a head and neck surgeon in her fifth year to practice functional medicine instead.

Kennedy claimed that the backlash over Means' nomination "reveal[s] just how far off course our healthcare conversations have veered," and that she was the perfect replacement because she left the traditional medical system, not in spite of it.

"Casey has excelled in every endeavor she has undertaken," Kennedy wrote on X. "She had the courage to leave traditional medicine because she realized her patients weren’t getting better. The attacks that Casey is unqualified because she left the medical system completely miss the point of what we are trying to accomplish with [Make America Healthy Again].

"Her leadership has inspired many doctors to reform the system and forge a new path away from sick care, which fills corporate coffers, and toward health care, which enriches all of us," he added. 

Kennedy also applauded Means' background as a "stand out" at Stanford, her achievement of creating a business and writing a New York Times best-selling book, which he credits as helping to inspire his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. 

"This ability of Casey’s to inspire Americans to rethink our healthcare system is also an existential threat to the status quo interests, which profit from sickness," he said. "Every day, I wake up emboldened to drive change because I know the support of MAHA moms has my back. Casey has played an integral role in galvanizing these moms.

"Casey will help me ensure American children will be less medicated and better-fed — and significantly healthier — during the next four years. She will be the best Surgeon General in American history," he concluded.

Means will still need to be confirmed by the United States Senate.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.