Influencer pick for surgeon general marks new era in health messaging
Casey Means was nominated to become the new face of American public health. She's not a career doctor — but she knows how to go viral. That's the point. And the risk.
Why it matters: This is part of the Trump administration's broader strategy to prioritize messaging, allegiance and influence over expertise.
Driving the news: Means' nomination has received backlash from the medical community for not being grounded enough in scientific consensus, while also getting slammed within the Make America Healthy Again movement for not questioning vaccines stridently enough.
Means received her medical degree from Stanford University but ultimately dropped out of her surgical residency and went on to practice functional medicine. She does not have an active medical license.
The nutrition influencer is co-founder of the tech-based health company Levels and sister to White House senior adviser Calley Means.
Yes, but: The administration has defended Means' qualifications, claiming her critics are worried that her popularity among "MAHA moms" could create "an existential threat to the status quo interests, which profit from sickness."
"Casey is the perfect choice for Surgeon General precisely because she left the traditional medical system — not in spite of it," Kennedy wrote on X.
State of play: The surgeon general is considered the nation's top doctor and the leading spokesperson on public health matters.
The role has changed dramatically since its inception when the position had significant regulatory powers to issue federal public health orders, says Lindsay Wiley, a professor of health law at UCLA.
Now, they're generally a figurehead, but those who harness the role well can usher certain pet issues into the cultural zeitgeist.
In the 1980s, C. Everett Koop distinguished himself by taking bold public stances on smoking and AIDS.
The most recent surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, focused on loneliness and isolation, gun violence, the mental health impact of social media, and the crisis of parental stress. His predecessor, Jerome Adams, prioritized the opioid epidemic, untreated mental illness and the links between health, economic prosperity and national security.
Between the lines: Means would be joining a federal health system that already has major communication gaps due to mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Her media savvy, plus newfound position of authority, could allow her to fill this information vacuum.
The big picture: Means as surgeon general represents a continuation of the Trump administration's strategy of identifying and elevating public figures, influencers or creators who have clout within niche audiences of the MAGA-sphere.
Trump has appointed several conservative media personalities for high-ranking government roles, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, deputy director of the FBI Dan Bongino, and, most recently, Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia — the 23rd Trump appointee to come from Fox News.
Aside from appointees who appeal to the Fox News audience, the administration has tapped into community passion points through micro-influencers like "MAHA moms."
Meanwhile, the White House is filling the press briefing room with Trump-friendly media outlets and creators, while also holding regular briefings for social media influencers who will help amplify MAGA-approved messaging.
Trump "understands television, he understands the internet, and he understands what the importance of communicating in a way that lots of traditional, trusted institutions do not understand," Claire Wardle, an expert on health communication and misinformation at Cornell University.
What they're saying: "Means has an audience. There is no doubt on her Instagram and TikTok, she's a New York Times best-selling author," Wardle said.
Government agencies are too often doing a bad job at communicating in a modern ecosystem, relying on press releases or interviews with traditional media organizations to relay information, she said.
"She is reaching people in new ways that I actually would like to see more 'trusted institutions' think about," Wardle said. But while she focuses on issues many people might find important, like nutrition and obesity, she also veers into areas in which there isn't scientific consensus.
"When you are the nation's doctor, I would argue that you really should not be saying anything unless there's scientific consensus," Wardle said.
The other side:"It would send the wrong signal to nominate a so-called social media influencer," Larry Gostin, a global health law expert at Georgetown University, told Axios.
"Influencers often disseminate unreliable and even false health information to their audiences. We want to direct young people to authentic sources for health information, such as the CDC or credible medical organizations."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
Collins opposed to PEPFAR, global health rescissions proposed by Trump
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday that she is opposed to a Trump White House proposal that would claw back money Congress has already appropriated for global health programs, including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). 'I do not support the rescission for PEPFAR and global health programs,' Collins told reporters as she walked into a meeting in the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon. The White House on Tuesday sent lawmakers a request to rescind $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, which were targeted for cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Congress needs to approve the rescissions package to codify the DOGE cuts. The package would cut nearly $9 million from PEPFAR and $400 million from global programs intended to control the spread of HIV/AIDS. Congress has 45 days to act on the package, which will be considered on a procedural fast-track in the Senate, allowing it to pass the upper chamber with a simple majority vote. Collins in a statement Tuesday said the Appropriations Committee 'will carefully review the rescissions package and examine the potential consequences of these rescissions on global health, national security, national security' and other congressional priorities.
Chicago Tribune
25 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Aurora exhibit explores impact of 9/11 terror attacks: ‘It's really powerful'
An exhibit focusing on the impact of the attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, is running now through Sept. 13 at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum in downtown Aurora. The exhibit called 'America United: The Days After 9/11' was created by the Children's Museum of Oak Lawn which, according to Brian Failing, executive director of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 'reached out to us and offered to share the exhibit.' The display features pieces from two metal beams recovered from the World Trade Center site in New York City that was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. While the exhibit includes a timeline of the day's events, its focus is on what came after: the emotions, resilience and acts of unity that followed, according to a press release about the display. Two interactive tables prompt visitors to the exhibit to reflect on themes of compassion, community and what it means to be American, the release stated. Failing said the new exhibit is one of the most powerful the museum has ever featured. 'It puts a different spin, a different dimension on 9/11, something that really is meaningful to all of our visitors whether they were impacted by it or are too young to remember it,' Failing said. 'There's something about seeing the beams and having a conversation about that day.' The pieces of the beams themselves are not overly large, Failing said, 'but the weight is substantial.' A special welcoming ceremony was held at 2 p.m. on Monday where members of the Aurora fire and police departments escorted the exhibit to the museum, where it was received by the Aurora Fire Department Honor Guard. 'It's just so impactful seeing it and how something that we know is from the World Trade Center and seeing how it's twisted – words can't even describe it,' he said. 'It's really powerful. It really shows how important physical artifacts are to museums and just showing and remembering,' he said on Tuesday. 'For me, when this happened, I was in fourth grade and was maybe 9 years old. Yesterday I stood looking at it with my daughter who is just 3 years old and I was just thinking – I was in fourth grade and remembering where I was. It's amazing how objects can just evoke those memories.' Jim Levicki, public safety media manager and information officer for the Aurora Police Department, said the exhibit, though small, is 'awe inspiring when you see it.' 'It's pretty cool to see a piece of history,' he said. 'When I was there Monday, I turned to one of the firemen and asked, 'Were you working on 9/11?' and he said he was a high school senior. I was a police officer then and was on duty that day and this, to me, is a reminder there are people out there who don't even know what this was. It was like me reading about Pearl Harbor. 'It's important that people never forget the things that happened that day and the impact they had on the country moving forward,' Levicki added. 'Everybody just had a moment of pause when they saw it and realized what exactly it was.' As the weeks go by, Failing said he hopes that visitors will experience 'the power of artifacts and having this direct piece from history.' 'We always say, 'We will never forget,' but this is also about all the things the exhibit can convey and the stories it can tell and the conversations that can be had,' he said. The Aurora Regional Fire Museum is at 53 N. Broadway in Aurora and is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information on the exhibit, go to
Chicago Tribune
26 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump tax bill will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave 10.9 million more uninsured, CBO says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's big bill making its way through Congress will cut taxes by $3.75 trillion but also increase deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The CBO also estimates an increase of 10.9 million people without health insurance under the bill by 2034, including 1.4 million who are in the United States without legal status in state-funded programs. The package would reduce federal outlays, or spending, by nearly $1.3 trillion over that period, the budget office said. What is the CBO? A look at the small office inflaming debate over Trump's tax bill'In the words of Elon Musk, this bill is a 'disgusting abomination,'' said Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, reviving the billionaire former Trump aide's criticism of the package. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he called Musk late Tuesday to discuss the criticism but had not heard back. 'I hope he comes around,' Johnson told reporters. The analysis comes at a crucial moment in the legislative process as Trump is pushing Congress to have the final product on his desk to sign into law by the Fourth of July. The work of the CBO, which for decades has served as the official scorekeeper of legislation in Congress, will be weighed by lawmakers and others seeking to understand the budgetary impacts of the sprawling 1,000-page-plus package. Ahead of the CBO's release, the White House and Republican leaders criticized the budget office in a preemptive campaign designed to sow doubt in its findings. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the CBO has been 'historically wrong,' and Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the CBO was 'flat wrong' because it underestimated the potential revenue growth from Trump's first round of tax breaks in 2017. The CBO last year said receipts were $1.5 trillion, or 5.6% greater than predicted, in large part because of the 'burst of high inflation' during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. White House Budget Director Russ Vought said when you adjust for 'current policy' — which means not counting some $4.5 trillion in existing tax breaks that are simply being extended for the next decade — the overall package actually doesn't pile onto the deficit. He argued the spending cuts alone in fact help reduce deficits by $1.4 trillion over the decade. Democrats and even some Republicans call that 'current policy' accounting move a gimmick, but it's the approach Senate Republicans intend to use during their consideration of the package to try to show it does not add to the nation's deficits. Vought argued that the CBO is the one using a 'gimmick' by tallying the costs of continuing those tax breaks that would otherwise expire. Leavitt also suggested that the CBO's employees are biased, even though certain budget office workers face strict ethical rules — including restrictions on campaign donations and political activity — to ensure objectivity and impartiality. 'When it comes time to make prognostications on economic growth, they've always been wrong,' House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said at a press conference. Asked if it's time to get rid of the CBO, Scalise did not dismiss the idea, saying it's valid to raise concerns. Alongside the costs of the bill, the CBO had previously estimated that nearly 4 million fewer people would have food stamps each month due to the legislation's proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. The bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act after the president's own catch phrase, is grinding its way through Congress, as the top priority of Republicans, who control both the House and the Senate — and face stiff opposition from Democrats, who call it Trump's 'big, ugly bill.' All told, the package seeks to extend the individual income tax breaks that had been approved in 2017 but that will expire in December if Congress fails to act, while adding new ones, including no taxes on tips. It also includes a massive buildup of $350 billion for border security, deportations and national security. To help cover the lost revenue, Republicans want to slash some federal spending. They propose phasing out green energy tax breaks put in place during Democrat Joe Biden's presidency. New work requirements for some adults up to age 65 on Medicaid and SNAP would begin in December 2026 and are expected to result in less spending on those programs. Republicans argue their proposals are intended to make Medicaid and other programs stronger by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. They want the federal funding to go those who most need health care and other services, often citing women and children. But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said those claims are bogus and are simply part of long-running GOP efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as most states have expanded Medicaid to serve more people under the program. 'They just want to strangle health care,' Schumer said. The package also would provide a $4 trillion increase to the nation's debt limit, which is now $36 trillion, to allow more borrowing. The Treasury Department projects the debt limit will need to be raised this summer to pay the nation's already accrued bills. Now in its 50th year, the CBO was established by law after Congress sought to assert its control, as outlined in the Constitution, over the budget process, in part by setting up the new office as an alternative to the White House's Office of Management and Budget. Staffed by some 275 economists, analysts and other employees, the CBO says it seeks to provide Congress with objective, impartial information about budgetary and economic issues. Its current director, Phillip Swagel, a former Treasury official in Republican President George W. Bush's administration, was reappointed to a four-year term in 2023.
