Donald Trump nominated Nicole Saphier on Thursday to serve as the U.S. surgeon general, making a more conventional pick for the role after Casey Means, a leading figure in the "Make America Healthy Again" movement, did not receive enough support to secure Senate approval.
Saphier received the nomination Thursday.
Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images
Trump called Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, a “STAR physician,” lauding her expertise in oncology.
Saphier has not publicly commented on her nomination after statements of support from Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who called her a “a long-time warrior for the MAHA movement” who will help “put prevention at the center of our health system.”
Saphier takes over Means’ nomination for surgeon general after Means was grilled by senators over her inexperience (she does not hold an active medical license) and her stance on vaccines, as the former surgeon once called into question the vaccine schedule and its relation to children's health despite routine vaccines at early ages being backed by scientific data and studies.
Saphier, 44, is a board-certified radiologist and the director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth. She specializes in breast and body imaging. Saphier also worked as a contributor for Fox News from 2018. She also hosts her own podcast, “Wellness Unmasked with Dr. Nicole Saphier.” The radiologist has opposed “Medicare for All” and argued that the government, alongside poor lifestyle choices among Americans, has contributed to rising healthcare costs. Saphier has also criticized parts of the vaccine schedule, specifically taking issue with the hepatitis B vaccine given at birth. She was highly critical of government-directed shutdowns made in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and wrote a book titled, “Panic Attack: Playing Politics with Science in the Fight Against COVID-19” in 2021.
Saphier pushed back against Trump’s claims that pregnant women should not take Tylenol. Last year, he urged women to "fight like hell not to take" the pain reliever and fever reducer. Saphier said Trump’s calls for moderating Tylenol while pregnant “was sound” but “delivering it in a patronizing, simplistic way was not." She added the press conference in which Trump made his comments about the medication was "full of hyperbole" and "really painful to watch." Saphier has also partially broken from RFK Jr., a vaccine skeptic, on immunizations. As the health secretary’s proposed changes to the vaccine schedule were snagged in court earlier this year, Saphier said the vaccine system “needed reform, but not chaos,” adding, “The pendulum swung too far in the overhaul.”
Trump has now made three nominations for surgeon general since taking office. Janette Nesheiwat was his first nomination, which was withdrawn last May after she failed to garner support from the Senate over scrutiny around her medical credentials and where exactly she earned her medical degree from. Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor, is a family and emergency medicine physician. Means later secured the surgeon general nomination. The 37-year-old physician previously worked for RFK Jr.’s presidential campaign and has worked as a wellness influencer, receiving income from dietary supplements and other health products sponsored on her social media accounts, according to The Washington Post.
What We Know About Casey Means—Trump’s New Nomination For Surgeon General (Forbes)
Trump Replaces Controversial Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means With Fox News’ Dr. Nicole Saphier (Forbes)
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