President Donald Trump has chosen Dr. Casey Means as his candidate for surgeon general. Dr. Means is a doctor who now focuses on health and has a close relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is in charge of health services. This happened after Trump changed his first choice for the important health job.

Trump said on social media that Means is a great fit for 'Make America Healthy Again'. He also said she will work to end long-term illnesses and make Americans healthier.

"Her school achievements and her work are really great," Trump said. "Dr. Casey Means could be one of the best Surgeon Generals in the history of the United States."

Because of this, Trump decided not to consider Janette Nesheiwat for the job. She used to be a medical expert for Fox News. This was at least the second time Trump had chosen someone for a health job who was then withdrawn from the Senate's approval. Nesheiwat was scheduled to speak to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday to be confirmed.

Means and her brother, Calley Means, who was a lobbyist, were important advisers for Kennedy's presidential campaign, which was unlikely to win. They also helped him decide to support Trump last summer. They appeared with some of Trump's biggest supporters and were praised by people like commentator Tucker Carlson and podcaster Joe Rogan. Calley Means is now an adviser in the White House and is often on television. He talks about limiting help with food costs (SNAP), removing fluoride from drinking water, and other things the MAHA group wants.

Casey Means has no experience in government and stopped her surgical training because she lost faith in traditional medicine. She started a health technology company called Levels, which helps people watch their blood sugar and other health information. She also earns money by promoting health products like supplements, creams, and teas on her social media.

In interviews and articles, Means and her brother say that many things are causing the country's health problems. They talk about food companies that make Americans eat unhealthy food. This makes people need daily medicine from drug companies to control their weight, diabetes, and other long-term sicknesses.

Most health experts agree that the American diet, which includes many processed foods, contributes to obesity and related health problems. But Means also connects changes in diet and lifestyle to many other health issues, like infertility, Alzheimer's, depression, and erectile dysfunction.

In a book she wrote with her brother in 2024, Means said that many long-term health problems treated by Western medicine are caused by the way we live today, which harms our cells.

Means has mostly avoided Kennedy’s controversial and disproven ideas about vaccines. But on her website, she has asked for more research into how safe they are and suggests making it easier for people to sue drug companies if they are harmed by vaccines. Since the late 1980s, a federal law has protected these companies from being sued, so they can develop vaccines without the risk of expensive lawsuits.

She studied to be a surgeon at Stanford University, but she is now popular online because she criticizes the official medical system and suggests natural foods and lifestyle changes to help with conditions like obesity and diabetes.

If he becomes surgeon general, Means would be responsible for helping to promote Kennedy’s large MAHA plan. This plan aims to remove many additives and chemicals from food in the U.S., get rid of conflicts of interest in government agencies, and encourage healthier food in school lunches and other food programs.

Nesheiwat, who was Trump's first choice, is a medical director for a company in New York that provides urgent care. She has often been on Fox News to give her medical opinions. She is a strong supporter of Trump and posts pictures of them together online. Nesheiwat is also related to Mike Waltz through marriage. He used to advise Trump on national security and has been chosen to be Trump's representative at the United Nations.

However, she was recently criticized by Laura Loomer, a strong supporter of Trump from the far-right. Loomer helped remove several people from the president's National Security Council. This week, Loomer wrote on X that the surgeon general should not be someone who supports the COVID vaccine, got their job through family, is in a legal case about bad medical care, and did not study medicine in the US.

Last month, a journalist named Anthony Clark reported that Nesheiwat got her medical degree from a different university than she said. She claimed she had a degree from the University of Arkansas, but she actually got it from the American University of the Caribbean in St. Maarten. Someone familiar with the situation said the White House withdrew Nesheiwat’s nomination because they were unsure if she would be approved for the position. This person did not want to be named when explaining the reasons.

Nesheiwat wrote on social media Wednesday that she is excited to keep helping President Trump and work closely with Secretary Kennedy in a senior job to make America healthier. She added that her main goal is still to make all Americans healthier, and that goal has not changed.

The U.S. Surgeon General is like the country's main doctor. They are in charge of 6,000 people in the U.S. Public Health Service Corps and can warn people about dangers to public health.

In March, the White House stopped considering former Florida Republican Congressman Dave Weldon for the top job at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some important Republican senators were worried because he had doubts about vaccines. He quit after the White House told him he would not get enough support to be approved.