Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Panics When Asked if Flu Vaccine Is Safe
It’s unsurprising, but disappointing nonetheless: The president’s pick for surgeon general is a vaccine skeptic.
During her Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, Casey Means was caught in a bind between party loyalty and medical truth after Senator Tim Kaine repeatedly asked her about a CBS article in which Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said there is “no evidence” that the flu vaccine prevents serious disease, hospitalizations, or death among children. The overwhelming medical evidence shows that the flu vaccine is safe and effective.
Means, a wellness influencer and author aligned with RFK Jr, first dodged the question by trying to generalize. “I believe vaccines save lives,” she said.
Kaine then pushed Means to answer the question about the flu vaccine specifically.
“I have not personally seen that quote or that article.… I believe that all patients should talk to their doctors,” she replied.
But Kaine wasn’t done, asking again: “Do you believe there’s no evidence that the flu vaccine has no efficacy in reducing serious injury or hospitalization?”
This time, Means paused for four seconds.
“This is an easy one, doctor,” the senator said.
“I support the CDC’s guidance on the vaccine,” Means eventually said.
“Do you think the flu vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization or serious injury?” Kaine said.
“At the population level, I certainly think it does,” Means stammered.
Kaine then lambasted Means for her filibustering: “Three minutes in, you answered a question that had a very simple yes, or it had a very simple no.”
KAINE: Last month, Sec. Kennedy stated 'there is no evidence the flu vaccine prevents serious disease or hospitalization or deaths in children.' Do you agree with that statement?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 25, 2026
MEANS: I believe vaccines save lives
KAINE: I want to be scrupulous. Do you agree with him?
MEANS:… pic.twitter.com/iG9FAKY6uK
Means’s hesitancy to go against the conspiratorial anti-vaxxer serving as health secretary exposed the depressing ironies of her being tapped to be America’s leading public health spokesperson. As an entrepreneur and influencer, Means has profited by sowing distrust in the medical system. As The New York Times pointed out, one chapter of her best-selling book is titled Trust Yourself, Not Your Doctor.
Earlier in the hearing, Means said that while she “accepts” evidence that vaccines do not cause autism, she wants to see more research done on the matter.
“Science is never settled,” she added.
For decades, medical studies have shown that there is absolutely no link between vaccines and autism, but Means, like Kennedy, continues not to trust the work.
Means was questioned by Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician who voted to confirm RFK Jr. but has been outspoken in his belief that vaccines are safe.
Cassidy asked if Means thought mothers should get their children vaccinated against measles. The modern measles vaccine was created in 1954, and seven years later, was declared “100% effective” by the World Health Organization. The Centers for Disease Control reported that measles had been entirely eradicated from the U.S. in 2000, but that has changed since Trump’s second term. American communities have faced multiple measles outbreaks this year due to rising anti-vax sentiment.
Means stoked that sentiment further by declining to encourage use of the vaccine. “I do believe that each patient, mother, parent needs to have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they’re putting in their body, their children’s bodies,” she said.
Dr. Casey Means, Trump's nominee for surgeon general, won't unambiguously say that mothers should have their kids vaccinated against measles: "I do believe that each mother needs to have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they're putting in their… pic.twitter.com/tiqYv7eeAD
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 25, 2026
Senator Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist, then asked Means about a recent American Medical Association statement. “An abundance of evidence from decades of scientific studies shows no link between vaccines and autism,” the statement reads.
Sanders once again asked her if she believed vaccines caused autism; Means once again wouldn’t give a straight answer. “I am not going to sit here and say we should not study something in the future,” she said, pointing to rising autism rates among children.
A graduate of Stanford School of Medicine, Means previously dropped out of a surgical residency at Oregon Health and Science University. She has been criticized for repeatedly using the “Dr.” honorific though her medical license, granted in 2014, has been inactive since 2019. Without an active medical license, Means is unauthorized to practice medicine or prescribe medication.
This story has been updated.