President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general moved one step closer to leading the nation’s public health system as the Make America Healthy Again movement positioned one of its most prominent advocates for the top medical post in the country. Dr. Casey Means, a leading MAHA voice and ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., delivered sweeping testimony outlining what she described as a long-overdue transformation of American healthcare.
Donald Trump nominated Means to serve as surgeon general after her initial October hearing was postponed when she gave birth to her first child. A physician and co-author of the best-selling book “Good Energy,” Means has built a national following by arguing that the US medical system prioritizes treatment over prevention. If confirmed, she would become the nation’s top doctor and chief public health communicator.
Dr. Casey Means, Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, won’t unambiguously say that mothers should have their kids vaccinates against measles: “I do believe that each mother needs to have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they’re putting in their… pic.twitter.com/l2VKLjf738
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 25, 2026
In her Senate testimony the Trump nominee cast the role as a platform for broad reform. “As Surgeon General, I would call on every American and the Public Health Service to join in a great national healing — one that halts preventable chronic disease, makes healthy living the easiest choice, honors the body’s connection to the environment, and puts America back on the road toward wholeness and health,” she told lawmakers.
The Trump surgeon general nominee’s comments reflected the MAHA movement’s central message: that chronic illness and metabolic dysfunction must be addressed at their root causes. Means has long advocated for functional medicine, an approach that seeks to identify underlying drivers of disease such as diet, inflammation and environmental factors, rather than focusing exclusively on symptom management.
Means has also, like RFK Jr., publicly raised concerns about the scope of the current childhood vaccine schedule. She has questioned whether the number of recommended vaccines has expanded too far and has specifically expressed skepticism about certain shots, including the hepatitis B vaccine given to infants. Those past MAHA comments are expected to be a focal point during the confirmation process.
🏛️ Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Faces Senate
🩺 Casey Means Under Confirmation Spotlight
📅 Confirmation Hearing
On February 25, 2026, Dr. Casey Means appeared before the U.S. Senate Health Committee as President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General. Lawmakers… pic.twitter.com/fSLQtzMOc4
— Knowledge Ocean News (@marlin_wizard) February 25, 2026
Senators signaled that vaccine policy and public trust will be central themes of the hearing. Bill Cassidy, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and a physician, underscored the gravity of the office the Trump nominee is seeking.
“You’ll be the nation’s doctor,” Cassidy said in his opening remarks. “We’ve got some serious health problems in our country. High rates of mental, mental health, and substance use disorders, widespread chronic disease, reemergence of deadly outbreaks, which are preventable by safe, effective vaccines.”
Cassidy also noted the broader climate of skepticism surrounding public health the Trump administration is striving to correct. “Unfortunately, there’s been a lot of promotion of vaccine skepticism,” he said. “At the same time, many Americans have lost faith in public health leaders since the Covid 19 pandemic.”
RFK Jr. strongly defended Dr. Means ahead of her appearance. “She has an extraordinary capacity to communicate to the American public. That is the function of the surgeon general,” the MAHA leader said at an event Monday, adding that Means would serve not only as a medical authority but also a “moral” authority for the country. He said he hoped she would be confirmed very soon.
The surgeon general oversees the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and serves as the federal government’s leading voice on health advisories and emergency guidance. The position gained heightened prominence during the first Trump administration and the COVID-19 pandemic, when public messaging became central to national policy debates.
Trump has framed Means’ nomination as part of a broader effort to restore transparency and refocus federal health leadership on prevention and chronic disease reduction. For supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement, her confirmation would mark a major milestone in embedding that philosophy at the highest levels of government.
As senators weigh the qualifications of the Trump surgeon general nominee, Dr. Means’ call for a “great national healing” has become the defining theme of her confirmation bid — one that could reshape the direction of US public health if she secures the votes needed to take office.
