Calley Means, a former senior adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appeared on the November 6 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience where he alleged that then-White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and other top aides were responsible for blocking the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and recommended President Donald Trump “clear his house.”

Within a few hours, Wiles had been replaced by her deputy Stephen Miller, prompting perhaps the most widespread approval from MAHA advocates that the Trump administration had seen all year at a time when the MAHA coalition seems desperate to maintain leverage following historic Republican midterm losses.

[Two days later, Means appeared on CBS Face The Nation, where he charged top Trump administration officials including Wiles with corruption, subverting Trump's agenda, and blocking MAHA initiatives.]

MAHA advocates have felt increasingly jilted by the administration, particularly over the issue of glyphosate, a pesticide ingredient linked to cancer “in numerous studies.” In February, Trump signed an executive order promoting the production of glyphosate as “critical to the national defense.” Then in March, the Department of Justice wrote a second amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of the developer of Roundup, an herbicide containing glyphosate that became the subject of “thousands of costly lawsuits from people who claim the key ingredient caused their cancers.”

MAHA advocates considered the moves a betrayal, organizing “The People vs. Poison” rally outside the Supreme Court in late April to press their position and expressing outrage after the court’s June 25 ruling shielded Roundup manufacturer Bayer from liability.

But Means, who resigned just before the midterms, citing frustration with the Trump administration’s lack of progress on MAHA priorities, told Rogan that the president had not even known about the DOJ's brief to the Supreme Court. Instead, Means insisted, it was Wiles and other senior advisers who had “killed the MAHA movement’s momentum,” saying these White House staffers “aren’t the best and brightest” but “they have tremendous power” and recommending Trump fire them all to “clear his house.”

What are MAHA advocates saying about Wiles' ousting?

Podcaster and Turning Point USA contributor Alex Clark wrote that Rogan’s episode with Means is “the most crucial, tea filled interview you will hear” and called for the White House to “fire Susie Wiles.” After Trump posted that Wiles would be removed following GOP defeats in the midterms, Clark added, “And just like that… she's fired.”

Other MAHA figures chimed in to celebrate Wiles’ removal — former MAHA Action CEO Del Bigtree posted a photo of her with the caption, “Ding dong the witch is dead,” while Moms Across America’s Michaela Bardossas wrote that Wiles' ousting is a “big win for MAHA.”

Clark also shared a joint post from MAHA advocates Courtney Swan, Vani Hari (also known as the Food Babe) and Kelly Ryerson (known online as Glyphosate Girl) boosting Means' claims that Wiles’ choice for Food and Drug Administration commissioner nominee, Heidi Overton, had worked with the DOJ to “construct a legal argument about why the Supreme Court could take the case and why they should be supporting liability protection for pesticide makers.” The caption read, “Susie Wiles and Heidi Overton sold out Americans to Bayer and hid it from Trump.”

Clark later shared images from the People vs. Poison rally alongside a screenshot of her post, writing, “I can't stop thinking about all of us protesting round up outside the Supreme Court with mothers holding their babies with tears in their eyes. And no one told the president.”

Swan also seemed to emphasize Trump's supposed ignorance on the glyphosate issue, writing, “I hope this serves as a reminder, when you think you know what's going on behind closed doors in the White House & you're blaming certain people… you might be clueless as to what's actually happening.”

Calling Rogan’s interview with Means “a must watch,” Moms Across America founder Zen Honeycutt similarly wrote, “For those who are already screaming that it’s a psyop, that Trump knew what was going on, etc. I’d like to assert that none of you know what is going on. No or do I. And Calley is only reporting what he knows, his truth.”

Swan also shared claims that “Susie also blocked us from going to a MAHA event in Washington,” writing that Wiles “went as far as to print out photos of us and put them in a packet at the front door telling the staff to not let us in. All because we spoke out against the pesticide liability shield.” Clark posted an image of herself and other MAHA figures printed on a “not permitted list,” with the caption claiming: “Some just tweet. Some just podcast. We threaten the system. Try to keep up.”

Additionally, some MAHA advocates explicitly praised Miller's appointment to replace Wiles. Clark posted a picture of Miller with the caption, “Patriots back in charge,” and the account MAHA Mom Coalition shared a post reading, “This pick was large in part to right the wrongs of Susie Wiles and Co, squashing the will of the voters in terms of the Maha Agenda – which DJT didn't even know was happening per Calley Means.”

Following Wiles' firing, Ryerson shared lists demanding the removal of other administration officials in the EPA and Department of Agriculture, writing that “USDA is currently run by Big Ag and pesticide companies.” Ryerson's list of EPA figures was reposted by Honeycutt and MAHA advocate Alexandra Munoz and liked by Swan.

After midterms, MAHA figures seek to maintain political leverage and defend RFK Jr.

Means’ resignation and subsequent media interviews underscore efforts to reinvigorate the MAHA coalition in the wake of severe policy disappointments and harsh midterm results for the GOP. Now, Wiles' ousting could give MAHA leaders a scapegoat for growing frustrations that would otherwise be channeled toward Trump and Kennedy while still aligning the movement with anti-corruption sentiments.

On a November 4 call, MAHA Action President Tony Lyons said, “The reports of MAHA's death are greatly exaggerated. In fact, they're wishful thinking by all those who want to continue poisoning the American public for profit. MAHA is here to stay.” Later, he added, “If there was any sort of message that you should take away from last night, it's that the American public rejected sort of the big corporate politics of the last 20 or 30 years.”

On the same MAHA Action call, Honeycutt warned incoming members of Congress that “any of those independents who consider Kennedy their champion, which I would say is probably most of them, are not going to vote Democrat at all, ever, if they mess with Kennedy.” She added, “He is their biggest ally in the administration and he knows what he's doing. He knows environmental toxins. He knows heavy metals. He knows glyphosate.”

Honeycutt repeated the talking point to The 19th, saying, “If you go after Kennedy, you’re going to guarantee that the moms in the middle — they’re never going to vote for your party. For you or your party, come 2028. Never.”

With research contributions from Helena Hind

Reprinted with permission from Media Matters