Iowa Seen as MAHA Movement’s ‘Ground Zero’ by Former HHS Adviser
Former HHS adviser Calley Means calls Iowa key to MAHA’s push for food and health reform ahead of midterms.
6 min read
Clive, Iowa — Former Health and Human Services senior adviser Calley Means has labeled Iowa as the ‘ground zero’ for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, citing the state’s agricultural economy, rising cancer rates, and the political stance of Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn. In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News following a rally in Clive, Means emphasized the importance of Iowa in shaping the future of food and health policy in the United States.
MAHA Rally Draws Prominent Figures
The MAHA PAC hosted its October 28 ‘Get Out the Vote Rally’ in Clive, a suburb of Des Moines, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The event brought together notable figures such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Zach Lahn, and Calley Means, alongside other Republican candidates, elected officials, and advocates from health, consumer, and agricultural sectors. The rally underscored the growing influence of the MAHA movement in shaping the political and social discourse around food and health.
Iowa as a Model for MAHA Policies
Means, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, stated that Iowa is positioned to become a model for implementing MAHA policies in other states. He highlighted the state’s role as a hub for agriculture and its potential to lead the national conversation on food and health reform. ‘Iowa is ground zero,’ Means said. ‘When we think of agriculture, we think of Iowa and the MAHA message that we need to put farmers at the center of health and have a thriving farm economy.’
Means further explained that the success of these policies hinges on addressing critical questions about the future of farming. ‘I think that’s not going to happen without asking big questions, big questions about what the future of farming looks like — how we can build a future of great, safe, real food,’ he said. ‘I think it ties to the health issue.’
Zach Lahn’s Role in the Movement
Means also praised Zach Lahn for his willingness to confront difficult questions regarding food and health policy. ‘Zach has bravely talked about the cancer rates in Iowa, and that’s a big topic around the Iowa kitchen table,’ Means said. ‘And as Bobby Kennedy said, the path is honest conversations and plotting a future where we have healthy Americans and great food.’
Means emphasized that the conversation about health and food must begin in Iowa. ‘I think this existential conversation starts in Iowa,’ he concluded. ‘We need to ask the hard questions about the future of farming and the health of our communities.’
Means’ Recent Resignation from the White House
Means’ remarks came less than a week after he announced his resignation from the White House, as detailed in an October 22 post on X. He expressed ‘tremendous respect for President Trump and Bobby Kennedy’ and emphasized his continued commitment to the MAHA movement. ‘They laid out a vision of combatting the entrenched, dark forces in DC that profit from Americans getting sick,’ Means wrote. ‘More policy and cultural change has happened around these goals in the past 2 years than any time in history – and I know this movement is just getting started.’
Means also reflected on his experience working alongside Kennedy. ‘I left my job very recently, which means I can spill the beans. I can give the truth about Bobby Kennedy’s tenure in the Trump administration from the inside,’ he told attendees at the rally. ‘What is so clear to me from spending, from having the privilege to spend every day of the last two years with Bobby Kennedy, is that there has never in modern history been a person with more integrity that has come to the halls of power in Washington, DC, than Robert F. Kennedy.’
Means described Kennedy as ‘the most fearless man I’ve ever met’ and noted his dedication to fighting for the interests of MAHA moms against ‘dark forces.’ ‘He’s doing it with the support of President Trump, but they are fighting a broken D.C. infrastructure,’ Means said. ‘I think we can feel that we’re living in consequential times. I think we can feel that the next ten years are going to be decisive for America.’
Challenges and Optimism for the Future
Means acknowledged the challenges facing Washington, D.C., and other institutions. ‘I think we can also feel that our institutions in Washington, DC, and around many institutions we trust in the states, they’re on the verge of failure,’ he said. ‘They are on the verge of failure because of the cowardice, because of the, frankly, incompetence of their leaders.’
Despite these challenges, Means expressed optimism about the potential for change. ‘But I think this is also optimistic because we can do better,’ he added. ‘I think Bobby Kennedy, the MAHA moms, is showing how we can do better. Leaders like Bobby Kennedy and Zach Lahn showed that we could do better. But we have to put people like Bobby and Zach in leadership positions.’
Means also emphasized the importance of asking difficult questions, particularly those that challenge the status quo. ‘This is a moment for truth to ask questions that the special interests don’t want us to ask,’ he said. ‘To ask questions like Zach has framed his campaign on: why, out of every geographic location in the world, why is the ground we’re standing on, why does it have the highest cancer rates of any place in the world?’ He pointed out that such questions are often avoided by powerful interests. ‘That’s a question a lot of people don’t want to be asked, and it’s a mature question.’
Connecting Health and Agriculture
Means highlighted the need for a spiritual and philosophical shift in how Americans view the connection between farming and health. ‘The fat cats and the pharma companies are making all the money off this chronic disease, but nobody has the common sense to say where we can have a spiritual revolution in this country to recognize that the farmers are the key to our health crisis, and we need to respect farmers,’ he said.
Means concluded by emphasizing that the path to better health lies not in prescription pads but in the food we eat. ‘And the road to better health goes to our fork, not the prescription pad,’ he said. ‘And that’s the important long-term conversation that Zach Lahn and Bobby Kennedy are representing, and that’s an existential question for America.’
‘Why has the international monopolization of our farming shut down family farms? Why do family farms have a boot on their neck with incentives that only help the big guys? Why is the ground we’re standing on, why does it have the highest cancer rates of any place in the world?’ Means asked, underscoring the urgency of the issues at hand.
Source: Breitbart
