Trump Removes FDA Commissioner Marty Makary

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Dr. Marty Makary is out as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, ending a tenure of more than a year that drew criticism from multiple directions. " Kyle Diamantas, who previously served as the FDA's top food official, will step in as acting commissioner.

Trump did not name Diamantas during his remarks. Several outlets reported that Makary resigned Tuesday after the White House had decided to remove him. Makary, a surgical oncologist who previously worked at Johns Hopkins, was confirmed as commissioner in March 2025.

He had frequently criticized the government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic before taking the role. His time at the FDA included internal leadership changes, staff departures and public disputes with drugmakers, physicians and patient groups.

The White House had grown impatient with what it saw as Makary's slow progress on President Trump's initiative to legalize flavored vapes. Makary initially overrode agency scientists to halt approval of the first fruit-flavored vapes before the FDA moved forward with authorization last week.

Trump had long promised to reverse prior restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America called for Makary's removal over the FDA's handling of mifepristone, the abortion pill that can be mailed to states with abortion limits.

Makary was accused of slow-walking a safety review of the medication. His successor will now inherit that review. Makary had highlighted his priority voucher program that speeds review times for certain drugs.

Several FDA decisions drew sharp pushback.

The agency initially refused to review Moderna's flu shot, a move the company said contradicted prior guidance. Officials later reversed course. The FDA also rejected a Huntington's disease gene therapy from uniQure, prompting the company to claim regulators were requiring what it called fake brain surgery for evaluation.