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Back to #2578 - Calley Means.

Who Sets Policy in the Trump White House?

Calley Means describes Susie Wiles's chief-of-staff office as the gatekeeper for policy in the Trump White House. In his account, cabinet secretaries had to secure that office's approval, and deputies James Blair, Walker Barrett and Richard Walters held substantial influence.

He alleges that lobbying relationships shaped the process. He describes Wiles's earlier lobbying work and says pollster Tony Fabrizio continued to list Pepsi and pharmaceutical clients while advising officials on political strategy. Means says he does not know whether President Trump fully knows about those outside clients. His school-meal example is that Fabrizio judged the political payoff of reform not worth the fight, despite the public support Means believed it had.

Transcript

#2578 - Calley Means ·

The Joe Rogan Experience

More from this episode

  1. Why Did Calley Means Leave the Trump White House?Calley Means says he left his White House health-policy role because a concentrated group inside the administration opposed the agenda voters had supported.
  2. Why Did the Republican Midterm Plan Rely on Redistricting?Calley Means says James Blair, Tony Fabrizio and Susie Wiles centered their midterm strategy on redrawing congressional maps to favor Republicans.
  3. Why Does the United States Use So Much Glyphosate?Calley Means argues that the United States uses large amounts of glyphosate and other agricultural chemicals because its food system prioritizes the cheapest…
  4. How Did Glyphosate Makers Get Lawsuit Immunity?Calley Means says the Trump Justice Department urged the Supreme Court to take a glyphosate liability case and support protection for Bayer.
  5. Why Is Cancer a Top Political Issue in Iowa?Calley Means says cancer rates and water quality became leading political issues in Iowa because voters wanted answers about farm runoff and pesticide exposure.
  6. Why Won't Firing Officials Fix Washington Corruption?Calley Means argues that replacing White House officials alone would not solve Washington's problems because the incentives built into the political system…
  7. Why Do Senators Spend Most of Their Time Fundraising?Calley Means says senators spend about 90 percent of their time fundraising rather than dealing with voters.
  8. Why Did Junk-food Stocks Jump When Calley Means Resigned?Calley Means says the stocks of major junk-food companies rose 8 percent on the day he left the White House.
  9. Why Does a Glyphosate Order Talk About Munitions?Calley Means disputes the national-security rationale for an executive order that addresses both elemental phosphorus and glyphosate.
  10. Why Do Glyphosate Maps Look Like Cancer Maps?Calley Means claims that a map of glyphosate use and a map of cancer in the United States look almost identical.
  11. What Slowed the Ibogaine Executive Order?Calley Means says psychedelic policy faced internal resistance, but he does not describe the ibogaine executive order as simply stalled at the time of the…
  12. What Is the Top Item Bought With Food Stamps?Calley Means identifies soda as the top item bought with food stamps.
  13. Why Were Fruit-flavored Vapes a White House Priority?Calley Means says lobbying and a midterm-election argument made approval of fruit-flavored vapes a priority for the White House officials he dealt with.
  14. Why Did the FDA Send Back Moderna's Flu Vaccine?Calley Means says the FDA initially sent Moderna's mRNA flu-vaccine application back for another study because of concerns about the comparator and the size…
  15. What Is Gas Station Heroin?Calley Means uses the phrase gas station heroin for kratom-related products sold through what he describes as a legal gray area.
  16. Why Did the White House Block a Study of Sugar?Calley Means alleges that a proposed FDA inquiry into sugar and refined carbohydrates was blocked because Susie Wiles wanted sugar-industry money for the…
  17. Why Was Pfizer Allowed to Skip a COVID Vaccine Study?Calley Means says continued approval of Pfizer's COVID vaccine was conditioned on a new study and that the FDA subsequently removed the requirement.
  18. What Counts as Ultra-processed Food?Calley Means describes the proposed ultra-processed-food definition as covering a color additive, a non-nutritive sweetener or one of the factory-derived…
  19. What Is the Most Common School Breakfast in America?Calley Means says donuts and sugary pastries are the number-one breakfast served to American schoolchildren and that there is no protein requirement.

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