There is a growing rift between President Donald Trump and his Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as supporters of both men find themselves increasingly at odds with each other. Citing conversations with more than half a dozen current and former administration officials, CNN reported that friction is building between MAGA and MAHA—RFK Jr.’s Make American Healthy Again movement. The White House has reportedly been frustrated by Kennedy’s handling of the Texas measles outbreak, as well as his inconsistent messaging on vaccines. Some factions of the MAHA movement, meanwhile, have been irked by Trump’s pick for surgeon general, the holistic doctor and wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means, over a perceived lack of opposition to vaccines. In announcing his nominee earlier this month, Trump said Means has “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials.” Following backlash over her nomination, Kennedy called the attacks “absurd” and said Means is the “perfect choice for Surgeon General precisely because she left the traditional medical system.” A White House spokesperson told CNN in its Sunday report that Kennedy “is both trusted and empowered by President Trump to deliver on his directive to get to the bottom of America’s chronic disease epidemic, and this priority is shared not just by the White House and HHS, but the entire Trump administration.” A person familiar with a recent exodus of experts from HHS described the situation to CNN as an “utter disaster.”
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