US President Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of Casey Means for the position of US surgeon general, instead nominating Dr Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and Fox News contributor. The announcement was made on Thursday via Trump's Truth Social platform.
Trump stated that Means will continue to work on the 'Make America Healthy Again' (MAHA) initiative, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite opposition from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Means' nomination had stalled since a contentious confirmation hearing in February, where senators from both parties questioned her views on vaccines and her decision to leave her surgical residency.
Dr Nicole Saphier is the third person Trump has nominated for the role. She serves as director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering, is a member of a CDC advisory committee, and has been a longtime Fox News contributor. Saphier authored a 2020 book titled Make America Healthy Again: How Bad Behavior and Big Government Caused a Trillion-Dollar Crisis, arguing that healthy eating habits can reduce medical costs without socialised medicine.
Trump praised Saphier as 'a STAR physician' and 'an incredible communicator', highlighting her decade-long tenure at Fox News as a key qualification. The appointment comes amid ongoing disarray in the US public health apparatus, with the CDC lacking a permanent Senate-confirmed leader since August 2025 and 80% of top positions vacant.
