Calley Means, a former senior federal health official who resigned two weeks ago following disagreements with the White House, has accused President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, of allowing corporate lobbyists to influence health policies at the expense of public well-being.
Means made the allegations during a two-hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan on Friday, claiming that Wiles repeatedly prioritised political fundraising over efforts to improve Americans’ health.
He alleged that Wiles withheld backing for his proposals to improve children’s diets because of concerns about losing financial support from the sugar industry.
Means also claimed that her team pushed for more approvals of flavoured e-cigarettes, a major interest of tobacco companies that reportedly donated at least $20 million to the Republican Party in 2026.
Additionally, he accused the chief of staff’s team of yielding to pressure from the kratom industry to ease proposed restrictions on products commonly described as “gas station heroin.”
Recalling his conversations with Wiles, Means said she repeatedly emphasised the need to raise money ahead of the midterm elections.
“Susie said to me many times: ‘We need money for the midterms, Calley. We need money for the midterms,’” he said.
The allegations emerged amid growing criticism of Wiles following the Republican Party’s unexpected defeats in the midterm elections, which triggered an internal blame game within the administration.
On Friday afternoon, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that Wiles would leave her position as chief of staff on Monday and transition to the president’s political operation.
He also named senior White House adviser Stephen Miller as her replacement.
“Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — She has done a great job!” Trump wrote.
Wiles was not immediately available to respond to the allegations, while White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster did not directly address questions concerning Means’s claims.
However, Schuster defended the president’s health policies in an emailed statement, saying Trump had “made incredible strides to Make America Healthy Again.”
She pointed to the administration’s recently introduced dietary guidelines and its efforts to remove artificial ingredients from food as examples of progress under the president’s health agenda.
