Former WH aide accuses Susie Wiles of blocking MAHA policies to attract donations
WASHINGTON, DC: Susie Wiles may have left the White House, but the controversies surrounding her tenure are proving harder to leave behind.
The 69-year-old former chief of staff has now been accused of bowing to “unrelenting” pressure from industry lobbyists while prioritizing political fundraising over Americans’ health.
Calley Means, who quit the administration last month after clashing with the White House, alleged that Wiles killed the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement’s momentum and stalled the priorities that he believes President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr were ushered into Washington to deliver.
Means’ allegations came shortly before Trump announced that he was replacing Wiles with longtime adviser Stephen Miller following Republicans’ landslide midterm election loss.
Calley Means alleges Susie Wiles said ‘we need money for midterm’
Means, on Friday, November 6, sat down for a conversation with Joe Rogan on his podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience', where he alleged that Wiles withheld support for his efforts to make children’s diets healthier, citing the need for sugar industry money.
He also accused her team of demanding more approvals of flavored e-cigarettes, a top priority for major tobacco companies that donated at least $20 million to the GOP in 2026.
Calley Means just went on Joe Rogan and blew up at Susie Wiles for destroying MAHA. “She spent her career taking money from Benjamin Netanyahu.” “The pharmaceutical industry.” “The pesticide industry.” “Trump’s administration has been infiltrated by the very people that he energized voters to say he would get out of DC.” “Susie Wiles is the most powerful chief of staff in modern American history.” “She has a couple of deputies.” “James Blair … long-term political consultant.” “He’s taken a lot of money from … special interests.” “The sugar industry.” “Walker Barrett.” “Susie’s neighbor in Florida.” “Junior guy, but extremely powerful.” “Richard Walters.” “A kind of mid-level fundraiser.” “He came from a lobbying firm … that lobbied for pesticides.” “Lobbied for pharma.” “These are the most powerful people in the country.” “Tony Fabrizio.” “He takes money from Pepsi.” “He takes money from pharmaceutical companies.” “He takes money from almost every single industry we’re fighting against right now to this day.” “Susie’s daughter became a lobbyist.” “The group Susie’s daughter worked for had almost zero in revenue before the Trump administration.” “Shot up to $30-ish million a year in revenue.” “If you’re a special interest and you want to get something done, the secret’s out.” “You pay Susie’s daughter.” “And then Susie worked at a firm called Ballard Partners.” “Ballard Partners has become the highest revenue-generation lobbying firm in history.” “If you hire Ballard, you get a meeting with Susie.” “And you can get things done.” Joe Rogan: “Is this normal?” Means: “This is how it works for 30 years.” @calleymeans @joerogan
— Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) November 6, 2026
“Susie said to me many times: ‘We need money for the midterms, Calley. We need money for the midterms,’” Means claimed.
Means, a close ally of RFK Jr who helped build the MAHA movement, didn’t comment on RFK Jr or Trump but asserted that Wiles had “spent her career taking money,” including from the pharmaceutical and pesticide industries and from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a former client.
Means also alleged that Wiles’ policy priorities aligned with her family’s financial interests, claiming that companies represented by her daughter, Katie Wiles, a lobbyist at Continental Strategy, received preferential attention and were given “a high priority.”
Calley Means Says Susie Wiles Pushed for Glyphosate Getting Liability Protection MEANS: “Susie called Bobby's office and said, ‘We're not discussing this’ … and it was announced the next day.” ROGAN: “How is that possible that something that's known to give people cancer gets liability protection?” MEANS: “It's indefensible.”
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 6, 2026
“So if you’re a special interest and you want to get something done, the secret’s out,” Means said. “You pay Susie’s daughter, and it was openly discussed when they had a client.”
Calley Means claims Trump administration mishandled MAHA movement
Means argued that the administration had mishandled several issues central to the MAHA coalition, whose support had helped propel Trump to the presidency.
Among the controversies was a February executive order aimed at boosting glyphosate production, despite the herbicide being linked to cancer and facing opposition from many MAHA supporters who want tighter restrictions on its use. The order came just as the Supreme Court was preparing to hear arguments in a case concerning whether Bayer, glyphosate's manufacturer, could be shielded from lawsuits alleging that the weedkiller caused cancer.
Means claimed that military officials did not consider the order necessary for national security, contrary to the White House's justification. Recalling the episode, he said one of Ms. Wiles's deputies placed the executive order on a table and declared that it was nonnegotiable.
“I read it, I said, ‘This is a political disaster,’” Means recalled, “Please inform Bobby. And this is not up for discussion.” He pointedly told Mr. Means that the health secretary should not call the president, adding, “Susie then called Bobby’s office and said, ‘We’re not discussing this.’”
The former special government employee also blasted Heidi Overton, a top White House health policy aide whom Trump has since nominated to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for allegedly facilitating Wiles’ efforts and playing a direct role in undermining Kennedy on glyphosate and psychedelics.
Overton, Means said, “worked with the Department of Justice to construct a legal argument about why the Supreme Court could take the case and why they should be supporting liability protection for the pesticide makers, and she did not consult Bobby Kennedy on that.”
Means suggested that the president should “exorcise” Wiles and her aides, including deputy chief of staff Richard Walters, assistant to the president for policy Walker Barrett, top political strategist James Blair, and Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio.
