A rare clash at the top of the Trump administration: Calley Means, who served as a senior advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before resigning last month, claimed Monday that former White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles could physically harm him. According to a report published in the New York Post, the remarks came as part of a public attack Means is waging against Wiles, after accusing her of blocking key initiatives in the health agenda the Trump administration is advancing.
2+In a post on X, Means wrote: “People who know Susie well warned me that she has the capacity to cause physical harm.” In another post, he described her as “ruthless,” claiming that “anyone who bypassed her, she tried to destroy.” At the heart of the confrontation is the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, known as MAHA, which HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is leading to overhaul American health policy.
Means claims Wiles and the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, where she previously worked, acted to block parts of the program. Among other things, he accused Wiles of promoting an executive order defining glyphosate-based herbicides as essential to national security, even though he believes the chemical can cause cancer. In an interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Means claimed Wiles created what he called a “demonic” culture in the White House. He said she even blocked a review of sugar content in children’s diets because the administration needed money from the sugar industry ahead of the midterm elections.
2+A spokesperson for Wiles rejected the allegations. “Calley Means’ accusations are outrageous, defamatory, and provably false,” the spokesperson said. “Susie has dedicated her career to fighting for President Trump and the American people, and she will not allow these lies to go unanswered.”
Ballard Partners also denied trying to influence the White House on the issues Means raised. The firm’s founder, Brian Ballard, said none of his staff worked with Wiles or White House officials to advance approval of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. He said the firm’s work in the area focused on combating illegal, unregulated vaping products coming from China. Ballard also denied any involvement in promoting the executive order on glyphosate, emphasizing that the firm’s contacts with Wiles during her tenure were limited and rare.
2+Means also leveled accusations at James Blair, a former White House senior official, claiming he received unusual threats from him. According to Means, Blair worked against MAHA’s efforts to restrict fruit-flavored e-cigarettes and even presented support for these products as a central issue in the midterm elections for Republicans. Blair publicly denied the claims, saying he never recommended that any political candidate make e-cigarette policy central to a campaign.
Meanwhile, Robert Malone, a former member of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, pointed to another detail in the affair. According to him, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, daughter-in-law of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., works as a lobbyist at Ballard Partners—the same firm Means accuses of exerting improper influence on the White House. “Yes, the same Ballard Partners that Means criticizes for its political influence,” Malone wrote. He went on to ask why Means’ criticism of family connections among administration officials doesn’t also extend to Kennedy’s own family.