President Trump announced he will nominate radiologist Dr. Nicole Saphier as U.S. surgeon general, replacing Dr. Casey Means whose bid stalled in the Senate. The move follows concerns over Means' experience and vaccine views. Saphier, a former Fox News contributor, directs breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth.
President Trump stated on social media that he will nominate Dr. Nicole Saphier, calling her a 'STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer through their diagnosis and treatment.' Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised her as 'a long-time warrior for the MAHA movement.' Saphier holds a doctor of medicine degree from Ross University School of Medicine and fellowships from the Mayo Clinic, according to her professional profile and Trump's announcement, as reported by NPR and the Associated Press on April 30, 2026, and May 1, 2026, respectively. This marks Trump's third attempt to fill the surgeon general post; his first nominee, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, was withdrawn in May 2025 after questions about her credentials, and Means' nomination, advanced last May, faltered after a February confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Means, a 38-year-old Stanford-educated physician without an active medical license and who did not complete her surgical residency, faced scrutiny over her experience, potential conflicts, and positions on vaccines, including doubts about the hepatitis B birth dose. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) expressed reservations, and Means withdrew after tense exchanges, telling the Associated Press her nomination ended due to a 'yearlong smear campaign.' Trump criticized Cassidy's 'intransigence and political games,' while Means' brother Calley Means accused him of 'delay tactics' and being a 'mindless avatar for his donors.' Saphier has also questioned the hepatitis B birth dose for low-risk newborns and criticized COVID booster requirements, though she once called Trump's cautions on pregnant women taking Tylenol 'oversimplistic and patronizing.'
