Takeaways from AP's report on the business interests of Trump's surgeon general pick
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — President Donald Trump's pick to be U.S. surgeon general has repeatedly said the nation's medical and food systems are corrupted by special interests and people out to make a profit at the expense of Americans' health. Yet as Dr. Casey Means has criticized scientists, medical schools and regulators for taking money from the food and pharmaceutical industries, she has promoted dozens of products in ways that put money in her own pocket.
The Associated Press found Means, who has carved out a niche in the wellness industry, set up deals with an array of businesses. In some cases, she promoted companies in which she was an investor or adviser without consistently disclosing the connection, the AP found.
Means, 37, has said she recommends products that she has personally vetted and uses herself. Still, experts said her business entanglements raise concerns about conflicting interests for an aspiring surgeon general, a role responsible for giving Americans the best scientific information on how to improve their health.
Here are some takeaways from the AP's reporting.
Growing an audience, and selling products
Means, 37, earned her medical degree from Stanford University, but she dropped out of her residency program in 2018, and her license to practice is inactive. She said she saw firsthand how 'broken and exploitative the healthcare system is" and turned to alternative approaches to address what she has described as widespread metabolic dysfunction driven largely by poor nutrition and an overabundance of ultra-processed foods.
She co-founded Levels, a nutrition, sleep and exercise-tracking app that can also give users insights from blood tests and continuous glucose monitors. The company charges $199 per year for an app subscription and an additional $184 per month for glucose monitors. Though scientists debate whether continuous glucose monitors are beneficial for people without diabetes, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promoted their use as a precursor to making certain weight-loss drugs available to patients.
With more than 825,000 followers on Instagram and a newsletter that she has said reached 200,000 subscribers, Means has a direct line to an audience interested in health, nutrition and wellness.
Many companies, including Amazon, have affiliate marketing programs in which people with substantial social media followings can sign up to receive a percentage of sales or some other benefit when someone clicks through and buys a product using a special individualized link or code shared by the influencer.
Means has used such links to promote various products sold on Amazon. Among them are books, including the one she co-wrote, 'Good Energy"; beauty products; cardamom-flavored dental floss; organic jojoba oil; sunglasses; a sleep mask; a silk pillowcase; fitness and sleep trackers; protein powder and supplements.
She also has shared links to products sold by other companies that included 'affiliate' or 'partner' coding. The products include an AI-powered sleep system and the prepared food company Daily Harvest, for which she curated a 'metabolic health collection.'
On a 'My Faves' page that was taken down from her website shortly after Trump picked her, Means wrote that some links 'are affiliate links and I make a small percentage if you buy something after clicking them.'
It's not clear how much money Means has earned from her affiliate marketing, partnerships and other agreements. Daily Harvest did not return messages seeking comment, and Means said she could not comment on the record during the confirmation process.
Disclosing conflicts
Influencers who endorse products in exchange for something of value are required by the the Federal Trade Commission to disclose it every time. But most consumers still don't realize that a personality recommending a product might make money if people click through and buy, said University of Minnesota professor Christopher Terry.
While Means did disclose some relationships like newsletter sponsors, the AP found she wasn't consistent. For example, a 'Clean Personal & Home Care Product Recommendations' guide she links to from her website contains two dozen affiliate or partner links and no disclosure that she could profit from any sales.
Means has said she invested in Function Health, which provides subscription-based lab testing for $500 annually. Of the more than a dozen online posts the AP found in which Means mentioned Function Health, more than half did not disclose she had any affiliation with the company. Though the 'About' page on her website discloses the affiliation, that's not enough, experts said. She is required to disclose any material connection she has to a company any time she promotes it.
Representatives for Function Health did not return messages seeking comment.
While the disclosure requirements are rarely enforced by the FTC, Means should have been informing her readers of any connections regardless of whether she was violating any laws, said Olivier Sylvain, a Fordham Law School professor, previously a senior advisor to the FTC chair.
'What you want in a surgeon general, presumably, is someone who you trust to talk about tobacco, about social media, about caffeinated alcoholic beverages, things that present problems in public health,' Sylvain said, adding, 'Should there be any doubt about claims you make about products?'
Potential conflicts pose new ethical questions
Past surgeons general have faced questions about their financial entanglements, prompting them to divest from certain stocks or recuse themselves from matters involving their business relationships for a period of time. Means hasn't yet gone through a Senate confirmation hearing and has not yet announced the ethical commitments she will make for the role.
Emily Hund, author of 'The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media,' said as influencer marketing becomes more common, it is raising more ethical questions — like what past influencers who enter government should do to avoid the appearance of a conflict.
'This is like a learning moment in the evolution of our democracy,' Hund said. 'Is this a runaway train that we just have to get on and ride, or is this something that we want to go differently?'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
New Strong Sell Stocks for June 16th
Here are three stocks added to the Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) List today: ADT Inc. ADT is a smart home solutions providing company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 1.2% downward over the last 60 days. DoubleDown Interactive Co., Ltd. DDI is a digital gaming company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 6.3% downward over the last 60 days. M/I Homes, Inc. MHO is a residential home-builder. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 7.8% downward over the last 60 days. View the entire Zacks Rank #5 List. Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double" Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest. This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ADT Inc. (ADT): Free Stock Analysis Report M/I Homes, Inc. (MHO): Free Stock Analysis Report DoubleDown Interactive Co., Ltd. Sponsored ADR (DDI): Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (
National Post
5 hours ago
- National Post
Trump claims U.S. military struck 3 sites in Iran, joining Israeli effort
Article content President Donald Trump says the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel 's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran's threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict. Article content The decision to directly involve the U.S. comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and a 30,000-lb. bunker buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily-fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground. Article content Article content Article content Article content The Houthis on Saturday warned they would resume attack American ships in the Red Sea corridor if the U.S. joined the Israeli campaign. Article content President Donald Trump posted on social media that he will be delivering a 10 p.m. EDT address on the U.S. strikes from the White House. Article content The president described the bombings as a 'very successful military operation in Iran.' 'This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR,' Trump added. Article content Several Republican senators are praising President Donald Trump after he announced Saturday evening that the U.S. military bombed three sites in Iran. Article content 'Well done, President Trump,' Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, posted on X. Texas Sen. John Cornyn called it a 'courageous decision.' Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said she stands by Trump and called the bombings 'strong and surgical.' Article content Article content Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted: 'America first, always.'
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
Trump confirms attack on 3 nuclear sites in Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed an attack on three nuclear sites in Iran. CTV military analyst David Fraser on how the conflict could escalate.
