Late Wednesday afternoon, Donald Trump surprised much of the political world with an announcement: The president had decided to abandon Dr. Janette Nesheiwat’s surgeon general nomination, replacing her with Dr. Casey Means. In an online item, Trump insisted that Means has an “absolutely outstanding” record and has the “potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History.”
Less than 24 hours later, the president also said that he doesn’t know who Casey Means is.
When a reporter noted that his surgeon general nominee never finished her medical residency and is not a practicing physician and asked Trump why he picked her for the job, the president pointed the finger at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Because Bobby thought she was fantastic,” Trump said.
After touting Means as “brilliant,” he added, “I don’t know her.”
Oh my.
Right off the bat, for those concerned about Trump’s transformation into President Bystander, this rhetoric is hardly reassuring. For all intents and purposes, Trump made it sound as if RFK Jr. — a longtime proponent of ridiculous conspiracy theories and bizarre scientific ideas — told the president to nominee Means, at which point Trump effectively replied, “Okey doke.”
What’s more, let’s not forget that when a president is asked about a controversial nominee and he replies that he doesn’t know his own nominee, that traditionally suggests that the White House is abandoning the person ahead of a confirmation vote. That’s probably not the case in this instance (at least not yet), but Means couldn’t have been reassured by Trump’s bizarre comment. Senators weighing their options won’t be more inclined to support an unqualified nominee whom the president isn’t even aware of.
But in case that isn’t quite enough, one day after the president announced his surgeon general nominee, the backlash wasn’t limited to the left. Politico reported, “President Donald Trump’s new pick for surgeon general — wellness influencer Casey Means — is already the target of MAGA vitriol, underscoring a split inside the president’s base over the future of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement.”
Right-wing activist, radical conspiracy theorist and Trump confidant Laura Loomer was especially aggressive in going after Means, calling her a “total crack pot” who “DOESN’T EVEN HAVE AN ACTIVE MEDICAL LICENSE.”
The Washington Post reported that prominent anti-vaccine activists have also been quick to condemn Means, accusing her of not going far enough to oppose vaccines.
If the surgeon general’s nomination advances and she’s hoping for a rescue from Democrats, that also seems unlikely. While members of the Senate minority had little to say about Means, her record is almost certainly going to be a problem with them.
There may yet come a point when the Trump White House starts to vet nominees for important positions, but this week offered a timely reminder that this day has not yet arrived.
