science
Trump Nominates Dr. Nicole Saphier as Surgeon General
President Trump announced Dr. Nicole Saphier, a 44-year-old radiologist and Fox News contributor, as his nominee for U.S. surgeon general on Thursday, following the withdrawal of Dr. Casey Means due to insufficient Senate support. Saphier, who authored a book titled Make America Healthy Again before its use in the 2024 campaign, has expressed support for the movement while critiquing some…
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President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general on May 1, 2026, according to a White House announcement. Saphier is the director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's facility in Monmouth, New Jersey, and a Fox News medical contributor.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated in the announcement: "Dr. " Kennedy further said: "Her experience and expertise will be essential as we work to address the chronic disease epidemic and prioritize prevention in our health system.
Saphier's nomination follows the withdrawal of Dr. Casey Means, announced on May 1, 2026. Means, 38, is a Stanford-educated ear, nose, and throat surgeon who became an author and entrepreneur. According to her LinkedIn profile cited in source [2], Means did not complete a surgical residency and does not hold an active medical license.
Her confirmation hearing took place in February 2026, but she did not receive sufficient support in the Senate. Activists aligned with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement organized phone campaigns targeting Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, as reported in source [3].
At a House appropriations committee hearing in April 2026, Kennedy described Means as "the most articulate, eloquent and erudite evangelist of the MAHA movement," according to a transcript referenced in source [4]. " This is the second surgeon general nominee to withdraw during Trump's second term, which began in January 2025.
The first nominee, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a former Fox News medical contributor, withdrew in 2025; source [1] notes that her withdrawal followed Senate scrutiny of her academic credentials, though no specific details from official statements are provided in the bundle.
Saphier authored a book titled Make America Healthy Again in 2020, prior to Kennedy's use of the phrase in his 2024 presidential campaign. " Born in Arizona, Saphier became pregnant at age 17 and, with her mother's support, completed her medical training at Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados, as detailed in her memoir referenced in source [1].
