President Donald Trump has replaced his surgeon general nominee, Casey Means, MD, with Fox News contributor, author and radiologist, Nicole Saphier, MD, Medpage Today reported April 30.
In an April 30 social media post, President Trump said that Dr. Saphier is “a STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer through their diagnosis and treatment.”
Dr. Means’ nomination was previously stalled in the Senate due to bipartisan opposition over her views on vaccines, birth control and pesticide use. During her confirmation hearing in February, she faced stiff questioning from Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., specifically regarding whether she believed that vaccines cause autism, a view touted by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a close ally of Dr. Means.
In another April 30 social media post, President Trump criticized Mr. Cassidy for his interrogation of Dr. Means.
Dr. Saphier is a breast radiologist and is listed as the director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center—Monmouth (N.J.) and has authored several books. One of her publications critiqued the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that political agendas overshadowed scientific guidance, CNBC reported April 30.
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