Trump replaces surgeon general pick with Fox News contributor after scrutiny


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After senators from both sides questioned President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general about her stance on a number of her medical opinions, the president is choosing someone else for the job. 

The president said on Thursday that he is nominating Fox News contributor Nicole Saphier to the top medical role. His initial pick, Casey Means, faced critical questions about her views on vaccinations, birth control and psychedelics during a Senate hearing in February.

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Trump’s move goes against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement. Kennedy previously championed Means for the role, The Associated Press reported

Means’ nontraditional path into medicine and her equally unconventional approach to the practice aligned her with Kennedy’s movement. The Stanford-educated physician agreed with Kennedy’s view that Americans are overmedicalized and that diet or lifestyle choices can end chronic diseases. 

Trump wrote that Saphier is a “STAR physician” who specializes in breast cancer and other forms of the disease.

“She is also an INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR, who makes complicated health issues more easily understood by all Americans,” the president wrote. “Dr. Nicole Saphier will do great things for our Country, and help, ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN.’”

She is a board-certified radiologist and an associate professor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College. Since 2018, Saphier has appeared on Fox News as a medical expert and hosted the podcast “Wellness Unmasked with Dr. Nicole Saphier.”

Saphier is also a New York Times bestselling author and has written books that also align with the MAHA movement, with one even titled “Make America Healthy Again.”


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Why this story matters

The U.S. surgeon general position, which shapes national public health guidance and messaging, remains unfilled as the Senate confirmation process continues with a new nominee.

New nominee's medical background

Nicole Saphier is a board-certified radiologist and cancer specialist, a more conventional medical profile than the previous nominee who faced Senate scrutiny over vaccine and medication views.

Shift from prior nominee

Casey Means, whose views on vaccinations, birth control and psychedelics drew bipartisan criticism at a Senate hearing, is no longer the nominee for the nation's top public health communicator role.

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Community reaction

MAHA movement activists had campaigned for Means by flooding phone calls to Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, both of whom had expressed reservations. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician and HELP Committee chairman, drew Trump's public criticism for questioning Means on vaccines.

Context corner

The surgeon general serves as the nation's top doctor, issuing health advisories and overseeing the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Trump has now named three nominees for the role in his second term, with neither of the first two advancing to a Senate floor vote.

History lesson

Trump's first surgeon general nominee in his second term, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, had her nomination withdrawn before her confirmation hearing over questions about her academic credentials, establishing a pattern of failed nominations for the role.

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Bias comparison

  • Media outlets on the left frame Trump's withdrawal of Casey Means' nomination as chaotic retreat using terms like "pulls," "stalled," and "third," emphasizing her "embattled" status and vaccine skepticism as proof of administrative dysfunction, while portraying Saphier neutrally as a "Fox News contributor.
  • Media outlets in the center stay descriptive, avoiding loaded phrasing.
  • Media outlets on the right highlight Trump's decisiveness with "taps" and lauding Saphier as "pro-life," skeptically tagging Means as "RFK Jr. Ally" to underscore ideological realignment.

Media landscape

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Key points from the Left

  • President Donald Trump withdrew Casey Means' nomination as U.S. surgeon general after Senate doubts about her vaccine stance and experience emerged during her confirmation hearing.
  • Means' nomination was supported by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the MAHA movement despite controversy and opposition from some senators.
  • Trump nominated Nicole Saphier, a Fox News medical expert and breast imaging director, as the new surgeon general nominee.
  • Trump criticized Senator Bill Cassidy for opposing Means' nomination and praised both Means and Saphier for their healthcare contributions.

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Key points from the Center

  • On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of Dr. Casey Means as his surgeon general nominee, replacing her with Dr. Nicole Saphier and ending months of Senate confirmation speculation.
  • Trump blamed Sen. Bill Cassidy on Truth Social for stalling the nomination, claiming the Louisiana Republican "has stood in the way" of his pick following Means' difficult February confirmation hearing.
  • Means, an ally of Health Secretary Kennedy, faced intense Senate scrutiny over controversial views on vaccines and pesticides. Trump wrote, "Casey, thank you for your service to our Nation!"
  • Trump described Saphier, a radiologist and director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Monmouth, as a "STAR physician" and "INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR" who explains complex health issues.
  • Beyond her clinical work, Saphier contributes to Fox News and hosts the "Wellness Unmasked" podcast, roles the president highlighted as evidence of her ability to reach Americans on important health issues.

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