Trump’s new surgeon general nominee has praised and criticized his administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Nicole Safire is President Donald Trump’s latest pick for the vacant position as U.S. surgeon general, a nomination that ended the beleaguered campaign of his previous nominee, Dr. Casey Means, after it became clear she did not have the votes needed to get out of a Senate committee.

Safire, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, has promoted many aspects of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, including removing food additives, cutting ultra-processed foods from diets and encouraging exercise.

Read more: Trump withdraws Casey Means’ stalled nomination as Surgeon General, choosing Nicole Safire instead

But she has been a more vocal advocate for vaccination than Kennedy, and at times criticized the Trump administration’s handling of health issues as “embarrassing.”

If Sapphire is confirmed as the nation’s doctor, he will be empowered to issue warnings warning of public health threats. Surgeons general have also used the office to advocate on vaccination issues — although the office does not set vaccine policy.

Means, a Stanford-educated physician and MAHA influencer who did not complete her surgical residency in Oregon and has an inactive medical license, faced grueling questioning from senators from both major political parties about her experience and stance on vaccination. She told the Associated Press that her failed candidacy was the result of a “year-long smear campaign.”

Sapphire is a mother, radiologist, and former Fox News contributor

Trump’s new surgeon general pick is the director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, according to her profile on the institution’s website. She earned her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados, as well as fellowships at the Mayo Clinic, according to her profile.

It has received endorsements from institutions including the American College of Radiology, whose president, Dr. Dana Smitherman, described Thursday as a “tireless advocate for women’s health.” Kennedy said in a post on social media that her experience with breast cancer patients and early detection will help the Republican administration confront the epidemic of chronic diseases.

Saphier was also a longtime Fox News contributor until this week, one of several channel personalities Trump has brought into his administration. Dr. Janet Nesheiwat, Trump’s first general surgeon, was also a contributor to the network, but her nomination collapsed last year after questions arose about her academic credentials.

He watches: Dr. Casey Means testifies at the Senate confirmation hearing for Surgeon General

An author and podcast host with her own show, “Wellness Unmasked with Dr. Nicole Saphier,” Saphier frequently comments on the Trump administration’s approach to health, often in a positive way. She also used the phrase “Make America Healthy Again” years before Kennedy popularized it. That was the title of a book I wrote in 2020 that criticized the government’s handling of health care and the Affordable Care Act.

Saphier has also delved into the health products industry, creating a line of herbal supplements called Drop Rx, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Sapphire, a mother of three boys, has often said she is grateful she decided to keep her first son after becoming unexpectedly pregnant at age 17. She called for more resources to be provided to mothers who make the same choice.

Advocating for vaccination while criticizing COVID-era mandates

Like Means, Safire has questioned some aspects of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule, including the universal birth dose for the hepatitis B vaccine, an old recommendation that the Trump administration is trying to weaken.

She also joined Kennedy’s disdain for coronavirus vaccination requirements in schools, saying on her podcast in September that it was a “total disaster” and one of the reasons for declining confidence in vaccination.

He watches: A surgeon general nominee faces scrutiny over qualifications and opinions on vaccines

Sapphire says it supports immunization while arguing that patients should be free to make their own medical decisions. In March, she praised the acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, for publishing a message encouraging Americans to get vaccinated against measles.

“The more confusion there is about vaccines, the more preventable diseases we’ll see,” she said in September, urging the administration to get itself in order “because it’s really disturbing.”

She described the Ministry of Health’s mistakes as “embarrassing.”

Although generally supportive of the Trump administration, Safire has publicly complained about some of his health mishaps. Last summer, she denounced her long-awaited first attempt at a MAHA report, which cited some studies that didn’t exist.

“There were a lot of flaws in that report,” she said on her podcast. “Actually, it was pretty embarrassing.”

She said Kennedy’s firing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s first director, Susan Monarrez, after less than a month on the job was “a mess.”

“When we continue to hear about radical transparency and trust is restored, I can tell you that these shenanigans are taking us away from that mission,” Safire said on her podcast.

In an email to the AP last year, Safire said Trump’s advice to pregnant women not to take Tylenol, which reinforced unproven links between the drug and autism, was overly simplistic. Equally important, and missing from Trump’s message, she said, was the fact that untreated fever or severe pain can also pose serious risks to mothers and babies.

After Means’ confirmation hearings earlier this year, Safire said on her podcast that she expects Means to do a good job as surgeon general but wishes she were “less involved with MAHA.”

“I would really like to see more access across the aisle when it comes to public health,” Safire said. “That doesn’t mean there should be a Democratic nominee for surgeon general, maybe just someone less connected to the MAHA movement who, I don’t know, finished his residency and has an active medical license.”

At least a few prominent MAHA influencers have suggested that Saphier is not an ally. Alex Clark, a Turning Point USA host and anti-pesticide activist, said in a post Friday that Saphier “gets an F when it comes to all things MAHA.”