President Donald Trump withdrew his surgeon general nominee, Dr. Casey Means, after facing resistance from one particular Republican senator.
GOP Opposition
As reported on Friday’s AM Update, Means’ nomination stalled on Capitol Hill amid opposition from some – like Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican and medical doctor – who were skeptical of her views on vaccines, which align closely with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Cassidy pressed Means on if she believes “vaccines, whether individually or collectively, contribute to autism” during her confirmation hearing in February.
“The reality is that we have an autism crisis that’s increasing, and this is devastating to many families, and we do not know, as a medical community, what causes autism,” Means responded, in part. “The administration has just committed a huge amount of funding to look at the exposome of all environmental factors that could be contributing to autism and, until we have a clear understanding of why kids are developing this at higher rates, I think we should not leave any stones unturned.”
The senator countered that “there has been a lot of evidence showing that they’re not implicated” and asked Means if she accepts the evidence. “I do accept that evidence,” she said. “I also think that science is never settled.”
Calling out Cassidy
President Trump called out Cassidy for derailing his pick in a Truth Social post Thursday. ”For months, Senator Bill Cassidy (of the GREAT State of Louisiana!)… has stood in the way of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Nominee, Casey Means, for the important position of U.S. Surgeon General,” he wrote.
In a subsequent post, the president suggested that could come back to haunt the two-term incumbent in November. “Hopefully all of the Great Republican People of Louisiana, which I won, BIG, three times, will be voting Bill Cassidy OUT OF OFFICE in the upcoming Republican Primary,” Trump added.
Means’ brother, top RFKF advisor Calley Means, also blamed Republicans in the Senate for the demise of her nomination. “[Senator Cassidy] worked to smear [Casey] as ‘anti-vaccine’ for not saying every American should submit their children to mandatory injections without parental or medical input (which is his view),” he wrote on X.
Secretary Kennedy struck a similar tone. “President Trump’s Surgeon General nominee, Casey Means, stands as one of the MAHA movement’s most powerful evangelists,” he wrote, in part, on X. “By sabotaging this appointment, Bill Cassidy once again did the dirty work for entrenched interests seeking to stall the MAHA movement and protect the very status quo that has made America the sickest nation on earth.”
Means Reacts
In addition to Sen. Cassidy withholding support, Means’ nomination reportedly remained stalled in committee after Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska declined to back her, according to The New York Times.
In an interview with the Times, Means said she will continue to advocate for the MAHA movement. “There is a really positive cultural movement happening right now where people are asking the government to help them stand up against corporate interests that are making us sick, and the government has said, ‘yes we’ll help you,'” she said.
“I genuinely believe in my heart that the Trump administration is trying to figure out how to move the balls forward,” Means added. “Yes, there are some setbacks, but there are some huge wins, and the way that culture has moved forward in the past year is monumental.”
Next Pick
Thursday afternoon, President Trump also announced the nomination of Dr. Nicole Saphier for the surgeon general position. She is a radiologist and current Fox News contributor.
“Nicole is a STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer through their diagnosis and treatment while tirelessly advocating to increase early cancer detection and prevention,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “She is also an INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR, who makes complicated health issues more easily understood by all Americans.”
Dr. Saphier has previously made similar statements as Means, advocating for parental discretion regarding certain vaccines. A date for her confirmation hearing is not yet set.
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