Calley Means: Big Food, Big Pharma Blocked MAHA Reforms

Former White House adviser Calley Means told Joe Rogan that many Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiatives stalled because of the lobbying machine’s bipartisan efforts to control Washington.

Means, who helped unite Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the 2024 campaign season, resigned as an adviser to RFK Jr. last month. Means told Rogan that White House officials weighed what industry donors wanted when deciding which parts of the MAHA agenda to follow through on, adding that the problem is a bipartisan issue and that President Donald Trump was often unaware of the stonewalling going on.

The Battle Over What to Study

Means explained to Rogan that he and former Clinton FDA commissioner David Kessler had bonded over their desire to tackle sugar and refined carbohydrates, but that then-Chief of Staff Susie Wiles blocked those efforts, telling Means, “I need the money from the sugar people to win the midterms.”

Means explained that White House advisers let fundraising concerns for the midterms shape what decisions the administration made about Trump’s MAHA agenda, with Means describing Wiles as the “most powerful chief of staff in modern American history” with a “stranglehold on any policy decision.”

“We made the midterm strategy the policy strategy,” Means said, adding that the administration couldn’t “do certain things” because it would “hurt special interest configurations for the midterms.”

Means described a similar incident when it came to a proposed definition of ultra-processed food. Means said the definition had a lot of support and wouldn’t have banned any foods, but a lobbyist for Oreo-maker Mondelez told Means that the definition would “hurt” the company’s business and threatened to call White House officials. Means says the proposal was delayed.

But Means also noted that the problems he faced in the Trump White House would still happen even if Democrats were in charge.

“We’re playing this game where we’re just ping-pong back and forth between the parties with an absolutely broken system,” Means told Rogan, pointing out that lawmakers on both sides rely on fundraising from big donors and that government officials often know there’s a chance for a post-political career in industries they regulate.

“This is wider than partisan,” Means said. “It’s just like a structural problem.”

“I cannot express to you how broken the Senate and Congress are,” he added. “Like they don’t go against special interests.”

The ‘Greatest Fight I’ve Ever Experienced’

Means said the “greatest fight” he had participated in was the fight over pesticides.

Means explained that Tony Fabrizio, a pollster who has long worked for Trump’s campaign and also runs polling that the White House uses, conducted a poll that found 92 percent of Republicans supported regulating pesticides, and Means argued it was a clear voter mandate. Yet there was a battle in the administration over whether the MAHA’s commission report would mention glyphosate.

Means said it was “the greatest fight I’ve ever experienced up to that time in my life to have the word ‘glyphosate’ in that report” and described the industry reaction as “almost violent.” Means alleged that industry representatives called Wiles and other White House officials to keep glyphosate out of the report and even block any inquiry into it.

Means claimed that Walker Barrett, a Wiles deputy, introduced a draft order that designated glyphosate a national security issue and allegedly said, “This is final. It’s national security. It’s coming out tomorrow.” Barrett allegedly told Means to tell RFK Jr. that “this is not up for discussion” and that RFK Jr. should not call Trump about it.

The administration also took that position in a Supreme Court case involving glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in the Roundup weedkiller at the heart of the suit. Means said the DOJ urged the high court to take up Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, a case in which a Missouri man said Monsanto should have had a cancer warning label on its Roundup product. The court later ruled that federal labeling regulations preempted the man’s “state-law failure-to-warn” claim.

Means said that White House health adviser Heidi Overton worked with the DOJ on the filing but never discussed the matter with RFK Jr. A farmer later brought the case up during a meeting with Trump and RFK Jr., and Means said that Trump called the court’s decision a “terrible idea” and asked, “How the hell did this happen?” Trump was seemingly unaware that his own administration backed Monsanto in the case.

Vaping

Means also alleged that members of the administration argued for getting fruit-flavored vape products approved in a bit to attract young men ahead of the midterms.

Means alleged that White House officials repeatedly called in then-FDA commissioner Marty Makary to press him on the vaping stuff. Means described Makary as being “pounded” about the issue in “meeting after meeting,” noting what the agency had to do in terms of establishing the risks that vaping has on children before it could authorize any products.

Makary resigned in May, though Means indicated his departure was a firing due to the vaping issue. Means said that after Makary’s departure, Overton, who “kind of did whatever Susie … wanted,” drafted a policy easing restrictions on fruit-flavored vapes.

The FDA was then sued by the American Heart Association and others who argued the guidance unlawfully allowed certain vape products to be marketed without the required FDA authorization or scientific review.

Vaccines

Means also alleged that Trump wanted an investigation into vaccines but that Fabrizio showed him polling that the issue wasn’t that popular. Means says Wiles and Fabrizio stalled inquiries into vaccines for about a year before Trump then intervened, though it’s unclear which inquiries were delayed.

Means also described a Moderna-created mRNA flu vaccine that went through a flawed study that allegedly resulted in participant deaths. Even the Biden administration called out the trial’s problems, Means said. Makary also noted the issues with the vaccine’s study and pressed for more robust testing, according to Means. But after Makary’s departure, Means said, corporate lobby groups, such as Ballard Partners, a Wiles-linked lobbyist, succeeded in getting the vaccine approved despite its alleged side effects.

Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2