Calley Means blames Susie Wiles and nepotism for stalling MAHA priorities

Means was particularly upset by how Wiles, in his view, was motivated by money instead of making children’s diets healthier. “Susie said to me many times: ‘We need money for the midterms, Calley. We need money for the midterms,'” Means said, noting she wanted money from the large-scale sugar industry. If the administration’s MAHA priorities were stalled, then the money would presumably keep coming.One of Means’s policy proposals, which sought to require the food industry to address whether the sugar levels in children’s diets were appropriate, received opposition from the chief of staff.“And that’s where Susie told me we can’t do that,” Means said, recounting what she allegedly told him. “‘I need the sugar industry money.'”In the wide-ranging podcast episode, Means also said nepotism played a role in policy decisions at the White House. Wiles’s interests, according to Means, were particularly self-serving because they benefited her daughter, Katie Wiles, who works at a lobbying firm called Continental Strategy.“Susie’s daughter went to a lobbying firm, and it was an open discussion in the White House. If a company hired Susie’s daughter, then that was getting a high priority,” he told Rogan. “So if you’re a special interest and you want to get something done, the secret’s out. You pay Susie’s daughter.”Means primarily criticized Wiles rather than Kennedy or President Donald Trump, but he did emphasize his concern that special interest influences hold over the Trump administration.Rogan’s two-hour interview with the MAHA activist arrived on the same day Trump announced Wiles was departing her role at the White House. She was replaced by White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller. Trump thanked Wiles for her service, calling her one of his most trusted advisers.“Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation,” he posted on Truth Social. “I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — She has done a great job!”Wiles, whose last day as chief of staff was Friday, said serving Trump had “been the honor of a lifetime” and that she was “so proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together.”MAHA ACTIVISTS CELEBRATE REPLACEMENT OF SUSIE WILES AS WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFFLast month, Means resigned because he reportedly grew frustrated with disputes over food policy, among them the delay in creating a definition for ultra-processed foods and corresponding labeling requirements. During his tenure, he helped revise the national dietary guidelines and put animal-based proteins at the top of the new inverted food pyramid.On the day of his resignation, Means credited Kennedy and Trump for laying out a “vision of combatting the entrenched, dark forces in DC that profit from Americans getting sick.” Over two weeks later, he was seemingly glad that Wiles was no longer Trump’s chief of staff.