Calley Means, a senior White House adviser affiliated with the Make America Healthy Again movement, is departing the Trump administration after clashing with the White House over food policy.
Means, a key ally to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., quit his role in the Trump White House on Thursday.
“I am resigning from the White House with tremendous respect for President [Donald] Trump and Bobby Kennedy,” Means said on X. “They laid out a vision of combatting the entrenched, dark forces in DC that profit from Americans getting sick. “
Means was a central figure in advancing several MAHA-related food policies, including revising the dietary guidelines and putting animal-based proteins at the top of the new inverted food pyramid.
But he had reportedly grown frustrated with the delay in putting forward a formal definition for ultra-processed foods and corresponding labeling requirements, one of the top priorities for MAHA proponents. Multiple outlets reported in recent months that Means had clashed with other White House officials, sometimes becoming visibly upset and raising his voice.
The Washington Examiner contacted the White House and HHS for comment.
Means’ resignation comes as Republicans in the House, Senate, and gubernatorial elections on Nov. 3 are attempting to appeal to MAHA voters, whom Trump courted in the 2024 election by gaining Kennedy’s endorsement.
Means, along with the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, was a pivotal part of connecting Kennedy and Trump in July 2024, brokering initial conversations between the two then-competitors for the presidency.
He initially joined the Trump administration as a special government employee to aid Kennedy before joining the White House.
Before government service, Means co-authored the book Good Energy with his sister, Dr. Casey Means.
Casey Means was tapped by the president to become the next Surgeon General, but her refusal to endorse vaccines prevented her from gaining the necessary support from key senators to advance through the Senate confirmation process.
POLL SHOWS CRATERING TRUST IN RFK JR.’S MAHA AGENDA AHEAD OF MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Calley Means said on X that “it was an honor to advocate for MAHA moms in the administration.”
“More policy and cultural change has happened around these goals in the past 2 years than any time in history – and I know this movement is just getting started,” he wrote.