Calley Means, an early leader of the Make America Healthy Again movement, has resigned amid discontent over the Trump administration’s food agenda, Ars Technica reported on Oct. 22.
Members of the movement have criticized Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for failing to deliver on policy priorities and embracing corporate interests. A summit last month drew objections over sponsors including Walmart, UnitedHealth, Anthropic, OpenAI and Grail. Sponsorship packages reportedly sold for up to $300,000.
At the summit, Mr. Kennedy discussed the potential of artificial intelligence in a “fireside chat” with Vice President JD Vance. Many members and leaders said the corporate involvement betrayed the movement’s grassroots origins.
Mr. Means helped establish the movement alongside his sister, Casey Means. They wrote Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, a book regarded within the movement as its “MAHA bible.”
The book offers dietary and lifestyle advice, recommending that readers avoid processed foods, seed oils, fragrances and various home care products. Its recommendations also extend to fluoride, unfiltered water, receipt paper and birth control pills. One chapter is titled “Trust Yourself, Not Your Doctor.”
President Trump nominated Ms. Means to be surgeon general, but her nomination was abandoned amid misgivings about her medical qualifications, positions on vaccines and promotion of unproven wellness claims, Ars Technica reported.