John,
The Surgeon General is often called the “Nation’s Doctor” -- a title that implies a combination of rigorous training in the field and medical school, substantial clinical experience, the ability to train and lead doctors, and of course, a valid license to practice medicine. Yet, Donald Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General, Casey Means, lacks all these qualifications.
According to former Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, who served in Trump’s first term, the law requires the Surgeon General to serve as an Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which requires an active medical license and at least one year of completed residency. As Dr. Adams puts it, these requirements are not optional -- they are “implicitly (and legally) essential” to the position.
Casey Means, however, does not hold a current medical license. She has not practiced medicine independently, having dropped out of her residency six months before its completion nearly a decade ago. Nevertheless, she is being nominated to serve as America’s chief public health officer. But this role demands both scientific credibility, and work with actual patients.
The Surgeon General must be a trusted authority on issues ranging from vaccines to mental health to emergency response, but Means’ main claim to fame is as an entrepreneur selling her own books and unproven medical devices, and as a social media influencer.
She has promoted raw milk, dismissed hormonal birth control, called vaccine mandates “criminal,” and told Joe Rogan that we should rely on “heart intelligence” and “divine intuition” rather than “blindly trusting ‘the science.’” When a Surgeon General nominee trusts her own feelings over medical research, we should all be worried.
Tell the Senate to say no to pseudoscience. Reject the nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General. Demand actual medical leadership now.
Even her close ally and potential boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary -- admitted recently, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.” It seems that warning applies to his pick for Surgeon General, too.
This is about more than one nomination. It's about whether we take public health seriously.
That authority is earned through years of training and patient care, not built on podcasts, alternative health trends, or influencer culture.
Means’ qualifications consist largely of running a wellness startup, promoting unregulated glucose monitors to non-diabetics, and publishing a self-help book. This is no way to prepare to lead a national response to pandemics, opioid addiction, or the mental health crisis.
Appointing someone without a license, residency experience, or clinical background to this role is not bold reform. It’s a rejection of medical standards and a threat to public health integrity.
Now more than ever, with health misinformation on the rise and trust in institutions eroding, Americans need a Surgeon General who respects evidence, understands medicine, and is actually qualified to lead. The job is not ceremonial. Lives depend on it.
Tell the Senate: Reject the nomination of Casey Means. Demand a Surgeon General with real medical credentials. Public health leadership should be based on expertise -- not Instagram influence.
Thank you for standing up for science, for medicine, and for the health of the American people.
- DFA AF Team
