Former Kennedy Adviser Calley Means Accuses Susie Wiles of Stalling Health Agenda

Calley Means, who resigned from his job advising Robert F. Kennedy Jr. two weeks before Nov. 9, has accused former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles of stalling the Make America Healthy Again agenda so that the administration could prioritize special interests and fundraising before the midterm elections, according to The Guardian.

Make America Healthy Again, usually shortened to MAHA, is the health policy push associated with Kennedy and the Trump administration. Means was one of its architects, and he spearheaded the work of the MAHA commission, which produced a report on children's health in 2025. He is a former food lobbyist. Reuters reported in October that he was leaving his post as a senior adviser to Kennedy, citing a first report from The Wall Street Journal. The Hill reported that his resignation was reportedly over delays in the MAHA food agenda ahead of the midterms.

In a Joe Rogan interview, Means made a series of allegations against Wiles, who has since left the administration. She was replaced as White House chief of staff by Stephen Miller. Means told CBS News that Wiles and her team, including James Blair, Richard Walters, Walker Barrett and Tony Fabrizio, catered to special interests against the will of voters. He alleged that Wiles opposed efforts to make American diets healthier because the administration needed money from "the sugar people" for the midterms. He also blamed Wiles and other Trump staffers for taking sugar industry money to fund the campaigns.

Means further accused Wiles and Blair of pressuring the Department of Health and Human Services to approve flavored e-cigarettes, a type of electronic cigarette sold in flavors such as fruit or candy. According to the New York Times, Means has also accused Wiles of repeatedly bowing to lobbying pressure and focusing on campaign work.

Blair denied promoting flavored vaping. He said he was tasked with aligning the Food and Drug Administration's process for reviewing applications for nicotine delivery devices with federal law. Blair also threatened to sue Means and accused him of lying about the claims. Means has said that Wiles and Blair may pursue legal action over the interview.

Means discussed Wiles's departure from the White House in an interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS's Face the Nation.