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Dr. Casey Means Testifies Before Senate Committee; Americans React to Trump's Economic Message in State of the Union; Trump Trumpets "Turnaround," Jabs Democrats. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired February 25, 2026 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: He's very good too. Also coming up, happening now, Dr. Casey Means is facing questions from U.S. lawmakers up on Capitol Hill as she looks to become the nation's next surgeon general. Her rise from MAHA influencer to President Trump's radar. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Happening now, President Trump's controversial pick for Surgeon General, Dr. Casey Means, is appearing up on Capitol Hill right now for her highly anticipated confirmation hearing. Only moments ago, Dr. Means was asked about the measles vaccine. Here's how she responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): We've had two children die from measles in West Texas. We now have an outbreak of like a thousand children almost in South Carolina area. You're a mom. We're on verge -- we're on the verge of losing our measles elimination status. Would you encourage other mothers to have their children vaccinated against measles with the MMR vaccine?

DR. CASEY MEANS, SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE: Like you, I'm a physician. I believe vaccines save lives. I believe that vaccines are a key part of every public -- of any infectious disease public health strategy. And I would work with you, the CDC, NIH, ACIP.

CASSIDY: But would you encourage mothers to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine, seeing how we've had children die in this outbreak in South Carolina?

DR. MEANS: I'm supportive of vaccination. 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 -- in their children's bodies.

CASSIDY: You're the nation's doctor. Would you encourage her to have her child vaccinated?

DR. MEANS: I'm not an individual's doctor, and every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body. I absolutely am supportive of the measles vaccine, and I do believe vaccines save lives and are an important part of the public health strategy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:35:00]

BLITZER: The physician-turned-wellness-influencer has close ties to the Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again movement. But she has already come under scrutiny over her credentials. She never completed her residency, and her medical license is actually lapsed.

CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox is joining us now from up on Capitol Hill. Lauren, do we have any idea what kind of headwinds Dr. Casey Means might face in this hearing today?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, I think that that clip really epitomizes some of the concerns that you may see from Republicans on this committee. And just to lay the table for some of the politics here, obviously Bill Cassidy is a very strong person on the issue of vaccines. In fact, let's go back to the hearing.

SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): What brought you to this?

DR. MEANS: Thank you, Senator Mullin. For all of us, I'm just going to take a deep breath. My vision for surgeon general and for the future of America is to get more healthy whole food on Americans' plates and to work to systematically encourage our health care system to focus on the root causes of why we are sick and not just reactive sick care. This is my passion. This is why I was put on this earth.

We have an incredible health care system. It's amazing. It's produced miracles. If we have an acute issue, absolutely you want to be in America to get that fixed. But 90 percent of health care costs are now going to chronic diseases. And frankly, having practiced, seen thousands of patients, worked in this system for almost a decade in clinical medicine, it's not the focus of what we as doctors are incentivized to spend our time on. It's not what's reimbursed. And this is a problem. Medical education doesn't focus on these modifiable root causes of diseases.

The science is showing us through amazing emerging work in systems biology and network biology that the physiologic causes of the vast majority of diseases that are taking American lives and torturing and shortening our lives, even in our children, are connected by shared physiology and shared root causes. We need to upgrade the paradigm of the American health care system to educate and treat in that way. It is by far the most efficient way to treat, of course, because if we're addressing shared root causes, we're going to be able to stop the whack-a-mole medicine that's not working for us and that is so costly.

And so, my passion is to help work with the AMA, work with medical schools, work with Democrats, Republicans, all sorts of agencies across the government to ensure that we really move the needle on shifting the American health care system towards root causes. I know we can do it. There's political will. It's what Americans want. Even the medical schools are on board, but we need a vision to get there.

MULLIN: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Murray.

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Dr. Means, for being here. Let me start with this. You called birth control pills, and I'm going to quote, "a disrespect of life." And you said Americans, quote, "use birth control pills like candy." You also claimed, contrary to established science, that hormonal birth control has, quote, "horrifying health risks for women."

Now, here are the facts. There are 18 FDA-approved contraceptive methods, both hormonal and non-hormonal, and there are decades, decades of evidence showing that every one of these birth control methods is safe and effective. So, I wanted to ask you, help me understand. Should women trust the FDA, which approved all 18 methods of birth control, after a very rigorous look at the evidence, or should they trust your statement that there are horrifying health risks to birth control, which contradicts that evidence?

DR. MEANS: Thank you, Senator Murray, for your question. I'm curious if you're aware of what the side effects of hormonal contraception are.

MURRAY: I'm curious if you are with the FDA that went through all of these and rigorously looked at them, or as surgeon general, if you're going to tell the truth to the American people?

DR. MEANS: I absolutely believe these medications should be accessible to all women. And also, all medications have risks and benefits, and in our current medical climate, with the burden on doctors, doctors do not have enough time for thorough, informed consent conversations. Some of the horrifying side effects of birth control that I have mentioned include blood clots and stroke risk in women who have clotting disorders, who are smokers, who have obesity.

MURRAY: So, it's --

[10:40:00]

DR. MEANS: No, it's not general. I'm speak -- I'm very careful with my words, and when I say those comments, which are taken out of comment -- out of context, I'm speaking about particular women that can be hurt if there is not informed consent about their medical history, their lifestyle exposures, and their family history. I want those women, and I know you do too, to be able to have a thorough conversation with their doctor and know whether they are at higher risk for side effects when prescribed the medication.

MURRAY: Saying that is one thing, but saying on, you know, different shows that birth control pills are a disrespect of life is very different.

DR. MEANS: I am passionate about women's health, and I think it is disrespectful to women --

MURRAY: Saying that people use birth control pills like candy is very different than what you just said.

DR. MEANS: We prescribe a huge amount of hormonal contraceptive, and I do not believe most of those conversations have informed consent because of the pressures that doctors are under because of our broken healthcare system. I want what's best for women, as do you, and I want every woman who could be at risk for a side effect to know --

MURRAY: I just have two minutes left and I have other questions. Let me move on.

DR. MEANS: -- if a woman died from a stroke or a blood clot because they did not have a thorough conversation --

MURRAY: Thank you for your answer. You made that clear. Let me go to another question. Tracy Beth Hoeg, she's an anti-vaccine skeptic. She was elevated by the Trump administration to serve as the top drug regulator at FDA. She made comments last week casting doubt on the safety of RSV vaccines for baby. As you sure know, RSV can be deadly even for healthy full-term infants. Do you believe that Dr. Hoeg is wrong to question the safety of RSV vaccines?

DR. MEANS: I have not read that article or seen that quote. I would need to know what she said before I commented on that.

MURRAY: Well, you do know that RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for infants?

DR. MEANS: I do. I have a 17-week-old, and I'm very aware of that.

MURRAY: You hear her statement? As surgeon general, would you contradict it?

DR. MEANS: I certainly have absolutely no issue having very frank conversations with anyone in the administration if I believe that their statements are misguided in some way or not fully informed, that's not a conversation I would have publicly first. I would have a private and direct conversation with anyone in the administration if I felt that patients were at risk. Because --

MURRAY: All right. And I also want to ask you about maternal health. Mental health conditions are the leading cause of maternal death in the U.S., including suicide and overdose deaths. In her comments last week, Dr. Hoeg, same woman, also expressed concern about the safety of the antidepressants during pregnancy. Specifically, she called out SSRIs, the most commonly prescribed type. Do you believe that SSRIs are dangerous for pregnant women?

DR. MEANS: I don't want to be a broken record here, but I do believe that every medication has risks and benefits, and you need to have a nuanced conversation with your doctor before starting a medication. That is, I think, the most responsible position for any doctor to share.

MURRAY: Well, strong evidence has shown that SSRIs are safe in pregnancy. Most do not increase the risk of birth defects.

DR. MEANS: Certainly.

MURRAY: But untreated depression in pregnancy puts women at risk.

DR. MEANS: And I agree with you, but I still think a patient -- I don't think it's responsible to make a blanket statement for all Americans.

MURRAY: OK. Well, if confirmed as Surgeon General, it will be your job to give accurate and up-to-date health information to the American people. I assume you will take that responsibility seriously.

DR. MEANS: I will. I absolutely do, and I also believe that the American people are looking for a more nuanced conversation about health, and I believe that that will help restore trust in public health.

MURRAY: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tuberville.

SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. I'm going to go to Meg Tirrell right now to talk a little bit more about what we heard there from Casey Means, who is on the Hill testifying for the job of Surgeon General, the doctor for the country. And, Meg, she made it very clear she didn't want to make any blanket statements when it comes to medications like SSRIs and birth control. And when she was pressed on that, she kept going back to how important it is for the doctor and patient to have the conversation, even with vaccines like the measles vaccine.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pamela. I mean, she also, you know, refused to take off the table the idea that vaccines could potentially contribute to autism, and that will be concerning to folks because, of course, the huge mountain of evidence says that vaccines and autism are not connected. It has been so extensively studied, and yet she said multiple times we can't take anything off the table. She really emphasized that point of this, quote, "informed consent." This is a big message from the RFK Jr. world, and specifically in terms of vaccines.

We hear a lot of this from his newly installed vaccine advisers, that folks should talk directly with their doctors about whether to get any vaccines. But she also pointed out earlier in the conversation with Senator Bill Cassidy, and it was another birth control question there that -- or actually, I believe it might have been the abortion pill Mifepristone, that patients should have specific conversations with their doctors before considering any medical intervention, medicines or vaccines.

[10:45:00]

And she said, usually through our health care system or often through our health care system, those kinds of conversations can't happen. And so, there are these questions about, you know, is the system set up in a way that she is suggesting it should be to have this conversation? There are also these conversations about risks, where there is science to say for the overwhelming majority of people, something is generally regarded as safe.

And so, you know, talking about these small risks or lower risks, this is where things get sort of complicated and refusing to rule out things that science generally has said is not the case, such as the connection between vaccines and autism.

Where she really went strong, though, Pamela, was on ultra-processed foods. It was almost a complete reversal in her tone there, where she said she would use the surgeon general's office to really try to tamp down on marketing of ultra-processed foods. I believe she called them franken foods made in factories. This is a message that's really being embraced, especially right now, as we are hearing the Trump administration really wants less of this sort of anti-vaccine, very aggressive vaccine policy that we've seen a lot of from RFK Jr. and maybe a focus more on food.

BROWN: Right. And her focus on whole foods. She said she wants to put whole food on Americans' plates and she wants to focus not on reactive sick care, but more on the preventative side of things, which is something that a lot of Americans, including those in the MAHA movement, find very attractive and they want to see more efforts placed in that area. Meg Tirrell, thank you so much. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Good discussion. I want to bring back our congressional correspondent, Lauren Fox. Right now, Lauren, you're up on Capitol Hill. This hearing before the Senate Health Committee, an important hearing. What does it look like based on early indications you're getting for her confirmation as the next surgeon general of the United States?

FOX: Yes, Wolf, it's going to be critical after this hearing to talk to Senator Bill Cassidy. Of course, he is the Republican chairman of this committee. He had a very difficult time getting behind RFK Jr. Eventually did support his nomination, but he said at the time that he was given guarantees from RFK Jr. about what RFK Jr. would do related to vaccines, the childhood vaccine schedule. Some of those promises that simply did not come to fruition.

And it's going to be really fascinating to watch whether Cassidy moves forward with this nominee, is supportive of this nominee, given, frankly, the fact that he is now in a bitter primary back in his home state of Louisiana with House member Julia Letlow, who has now been endorsed by Donald Trump. So, Bill Cassidy already struggling in that primary.

And again, he is someone who has repeatedly, time and time again, made it very clear that he is supportive of vaccines, that he believes the Trump administration should be clear with the public about vaccines. And the early indication from that first back and forth makes clear that there is some question right now whether or not this surgeon general nominee would be willing to go as strong on vaccines as maybe Bill Cassidy, a doctor himself, would like.

BLITZER: And I'm sure several members of the committee, including the ranking Democrat, Senator Bernie Sanders, for example, are going to be asking her in follow-up questions. She says she believes in vaccines, but when specifically asked about whether parents should give the measles vaccine to kids, the little kids, to prevent their getting measles, especially now that measles seem to be exploding in various parts of the country right now, she refused to say she would recommend that. That's going to be a controversial issue, I assume.

FOX: Yes, absolutely, Wolf. And if you're a Democrat on this committee, you're going to be trying to triangulate your questions to nail down the specifics over and over again, because it's not just Bill Cassidy on this committee who could be a swing vote. You also have Senator Lisa Murkowski on this committee, Senator Susan Collins on this committee.

A lot of questions about whether or not they are going to support this nominee, especially because you saw that back and forth between her and Patty Murray when it came to birth control and side effects of birth control, and she continued to make the same point over and over again that she believes these conversations need to happen individually with doctors. She didn't want to make any blanket statements. Well, I think Democrats are going to be trying to nail down more specifics from her in upcoming questions.

BLITZER: Laura Fox, thank you very, very much. Pamela.

BROWN: Yes, it'll be really interesting to see what Senator Kennedy does -- Cassidy, I should say, because he was the final vote. He was a deciding vote for RFK Jr. as the health secretary, and then he had come out after to criticize some of his policies on vaccines. So, it'll be interesting to watch that.

Coming up, we'll ask Republican Congressman Mike Lawler about the president's speech and his takeaways, up next.

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[10:50:00]

BLITZER: Happening now. We're tracking more reaction pouring in right now to President Trump's record-long State of the Union address last night, 147 minutes. A CNN poll found Americans' view of the speech split, with 38 percent of the watchers viewing it very positively, 25 percent somewhat positively, and 36 percent negatively.

BROWN: Joining us now to discuss is Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York. He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Hi, Congressman. So, how would you grade President Trump's performance during the State of the Union last night? And as a swing district member of the GOP, do you plan to embrace his messaging in the lead-up to the midterms?

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R- NY): I think the president did very well. He highlighted the economic successes of his first year, especially focusing on the passage of the Working Families Tax Cut Bill and the direct impact on the American people who are now in the process of filing their taxes.

I can tell you in my district, people are receiving anywhere from a $5,000 to $20,000 tax refund in large measure because of my work to lift the cap on salt. So, there are a lot of positives that the president focused on. He also focused on key issues from health care to housing to energy, talking about banning institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, most favored nation with respect to prescription drug prices, forcing tech companies to actually pony up when it comes to the power required for data centers.

I think there's a lot of issues, congressional stock trade banning that he talked about, that are like 80-20 issues that most Americans would actually support and get behind. He highlighted a lot of the successes on foreign policy and really was able to show great American stories last night.

[10:55:00]

I don't think anybody has used the gallery as effectively as the president, bringing in the USA men's hockey team, gold medal winning team, giving out two Medal of Honor awards to two very deserving recipients, reunifying a Venezuelan political prisoner with his niece. These were touching moments that I think did unify the American people. I think the other thing that he did effectively, frankly, was point out the stark differences between Republicans and Democrats.

And my Democratic colleagues really walked right into it when he asked every member of Congress to stand and show the American people where they stood on the issue of protecting American citizens over illegal immigrants. And I think that's a moment that is going to resonate across the country for the American people.

BLITZER: But notably, Congressman, this is Wolf Blitzer, not mentioned in the president's address last night was any mention at all of the Epstein files, even as several of the survivors of Epstein's abuse attended the State of the Union, didn't reach out to those in the gallery and say anything about them.

Given what a political headache this issue has become for the White House, was it a mistake not at least to acknowledge those women and express some support for what they've gone through and what they're doing?

LAWLER: Well, obviously, we all acknowledge the victims of Jeffrey Epstein. I voted in favor of releasing the records. The records have been released. And I think this topic obviously has been extensively covered for the American people and certainly on CNN. But the fact is that anybody who was involved in the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, who committed sexual abuse of these women or children, should be prosecuted. And that's for the Department of Justice to pursue.

But what the president focused on last night is the issues most acutely impacting the American people, from the economy to foreign policy to border and immigration policy. And that is, I think, something the American people were receptive to. And your own polling indicates that.

BROWN: Certainly, when it comes to the Republicans, the favorability, I believe, in terms of very positive was 36 percent, I believe, from our David Chalian. We had many more questions, Congressman, but we are out of time. We have to squeeze in a commercial break. But thank you so much.

LAWLER: Thank you.

BLITZER: And thanks for me as well. Coming up, Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar joins us live in the Situation Room after some rather tense moments between her and President Trump during last night's State of the Union.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, breaking news, the president trumpets a turnaround and throws some jabs at Democrats. We have expert analysis of his record- breaking State of the Union speech.

BLITZER: We want --

[11:00:00]