Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s former running mate has voiced concerns about President Donald Trump’s new choice for surgeon general, hinting that influences other than the Health and Human Services secretary and Trump himself are at play.

The president made a surprising announcement on Wednesday, nominating Casey Means as the country’s leading doctor. Means is set to collaborate closely with Kennedy at the Department of Health and Human Services to shape health policy.

Nicole Shanahan, who was Kennedy’s vice-presidential pick in his brief 2024 campaign, described the nomination as ‘unusual.’ She also alleged that Kennedy had assured her that neither Casey nor her sibling Calley would be appointed at the Department of Health and Human Services if she backed Kennedy’s entry into the Cabinet role.

‘Yes it’s very strange. Doesn’t make any sense,’ she wrote in response to another post expressing concern that Casey has ‘just about no clinical experience.’

‘I was promised that if I supported RFK Jr. in his Senate confirmation that neither of these sibling would be working under HHS or in an appointment (and that people much more qualified would be),’ Shanahan claimed on X.

She added that she is now unsure whether RFK Jr ‘very clearly lied to me,’ but said: ‘It has been apparent in recent conversations that he is reporting to someone who is controlling his decisions (and isn’t President Trump).’

The billionaire divorcee then concluded her message by hitting out at the Means siblings, saying ‘there is something artificial and aggressive’ about them ‘almost like they were bred and raised Manchurian assets.’

Means is a Stanford University-trained physician and runs a business on on holistic health and combating chronic illness, according to her website. Her book, ‘Good Energy: The Surprising Connection between Metabolism and Limitless Health’ is a New York Times Bestseller.

Means criticizes the conflicts of interest in the food industry and the government agencies that regulate them as well as the importance of physical activity in promoting wellness. 

She is also popular in the podcast community and the MAHA (Make America Healthy AGAIN) movement, appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience and the Tucker Carlson Show to discuss the future of public health and wellness. 

Her brother, Calley, a former food industry lobbyist, has also previously been appointed as a special government employee at the Department of Health and Human Services.

‘Casey has impeccable “MAHA” credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, making the announcement. 

‘Her academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding,’ he continued, sayin she ‘has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States history.’

Kennedy also expressed his support for the nominee in a Thursday morning post on X, calling her a ‘breath of fresh air.

‘She will provide our country with ethical guidance, wisdom and gold-standard medical advice, even when it challenges popular orthodoxies,’ he wrote.

‘She will be a juggernaut against the ossified medical conventions that have helped make our people the sickest in the world at the highest cost per capita.’ 

But many are now skeptical about Means’ credentials to be the next surgeon general.

She does not have an active medical license, having never completed her training as an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon after graduating from Stanford University’s medical school – leading to criticism from Trump loyalist Laura Loomer, according to the Independent.

‘How is the top doctor in the US supposed to give medical guidance and advice to the nation when she doesn’t even have an active medical license in the state where she allegedly practiced medicine?’ Loomer asked, rhetorically.

‘Does Casey Means even have an active medical license in any state??’

‘This is so embarrassing for the Trump administration,’ she lamented.

In a separate post, Loomer said ‘It is worth noting that Casey Means doesn’t have a surgical residency and isn’t a surgeon.

‘The term Surgeon General is interesting given the fact that there is no requirement to be a surgeon to be Surgeon General,’ she continued. 

‘Turns out you can be a social media influencer and become Surgeon General.’

Others have also attacked Means for not being skeptical enough about vaccines, even though she has declared it is ‘criminal’ to require vaccinations and said she supports Kennedy ‘relentlessly pushing for vaccine safety.’

Means claimed that ‘the current extreme and growing vaccine schedule’ could be the cause of health problems in children – and supported Kennedy’s efforts to investigate the matter. 

It now appears Trump appointed Means to be the country’s top doctor after he received backlash for his first pick to hold the position – former Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat.

Her credentials had come into question last month after CBS News reported she graduated from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine rather than the University of Arkansas School of Medicine. 

Many in Trump’s base also had concerns over Nesheiwat’s former support of vaccinations, sharing clips of her participating in the TikTok trend of dancing nurses trying to inform the public about how to protect themselves during the pandemic in 2020 and praising Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for censoring and banning so-called ‘misinformation’ about vaccines on Facebook and Instagram.

But it seems Nesheiwat grew more skeptical about the federal government’s guidance in recent years, as she criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for profiting off unnecessary vaccines for kids in 2022.

‘There’s no good reason to have a vaccine that can’t stop disease, can’t stop transmission on the scheduled vaccination,’ she said during an appearance on then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s show. 

Still, Trump ultimately decided to pull Nesheiwat’s nomination – just one day before she was set to appear at the US Senate for her confirmation hearing.