U.S. President Donald Trump has officially named Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and Fox News contributor, as his nominee for U.S. Surgeon General. This announcement comes after the withdrawal of Casey Means, marking the third nominee for the position by the Trump administration.
The decision is poised to create tension between Trump and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who has been accused by Trump of blocking Means’s nomination. Trump referred to Cassidy as ‘a very disloyal person’ in a recent statement.
Means, who was a significant supporter of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was unable to secure the necessary votes to progress in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, led by Cassidy. Additionally, she is not a practicing doctor and is closely associated with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which has been criticized for its stance on vaccines. Her brother, Calley Means, is also involved in the White House.
Upon announcing Saphier’s nomination, Trump praised her as a ‘STAR physician’ who has dedicated her career to supporting women dealing with breast cancer and promoting early detection and prevention of the disease. Saphier is affiliated with Memorial Sloan Kettering and has authored several books, including ‘Make America Healthy Again: How Bad Behavior and Big Government Caused a Trillion Dollar Crisis.’
Trump previously indicated that Means would persist in her advocacy for the MAHA movement despite Cassidy’s resistance. Health Secretary Kennedy also lauded Means as one of the movement’s ‘most powerful evangelists’ and criticized Cassidy for obstructing her nomination.
This nomination marks the third attempt by the Trump administration to fill the Surgeon General position, following the withdrawal of Janette Nesheiwat’s nomination earlier in May. Both of the previous nominees faced criticism from far-right activists who hold considerable sway over Trump’s decisions.
During her confirmation hearing, Means faced intense scrutiny from both Democratic and some Republican senators regarding her views on vaccines, public health policy, and potential financial conflicts of interest. Although she acknowledged the importance of vaccines in public health, she refrained from rejecting a discredited claim linking vaccines to autism, aligning herself with the anti-vaccine stance of Kennedy.
The retraction of Means’s nomination has been celebrated by public health advocates, including Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, who stated that it represented ‘a clear-cut victory for public health.’ Gilbert emphasized that Means was ‘unqualified and unfit’ to serve as Surgeon General.
In contrast, Dr. Saphier holds an active medical license and serves as the director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She has qualifications from Ross University School of Medicine and completed fellowships at the Mayo Clinic. Her work includes efforts to prevent chronic diseases through lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.
