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President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a new nominee for U.S. surgeon general, selecting Dr. Nicole Saphier after months of uncertainty surrounding the fate of his previous pick, Dr. Casey Means.
The move resets the confirmation process for one of the nation’s top public health roles, which had been left in limbo as Means struggled to secure enough Senate support.
If confirmed, Saphier — a radiologist and media contributor — would serve as the country’s top doctor, empowered to issue public health advisories and shape national messaging on medical issues.
Saphier is listed as a radiologist and director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and has been a frequent medical contributor on Fox News. In announcing her nomination, Trump praised her clinical work and communication skills.
“Nicole is a STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that she makes complex health issues accessible to the public.
She is also the author of the 2020 book Make America Healthy Again, a phrase later adopted as a slogan by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policy agenda. Her follow-up book, Panic Attack, criticized pandemic-era shutdowns and school closures.
Saphier’s nomination comes after the collapse of support for Means, a close ally of Kennedy whose confirmation stalled in the Senate. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Means “didn’t have the votes to pass.”
Trump publicly blamed Cassidy for blocking the nomination, calling him “disloyal,” while Kennedy accused the senator of undermining the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
Means had faced bipartisan scrutiny over her views on vaccines, birth control and public health policy, as well as questions about her lack of an active medical license. Her nomination hearing raised concerns among lawmakers about her past statements suggesting potential links between vaccines and autism — claims widely rejected by scientific research.
The Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment directly on the nomination, referring inquiries to the White House. Cassidy pushed back on Trump’s criticism, saying multiple senators had already decided to oppose Means.
“I can promise you there were multiple people on the committee who had decided to vote ‘no,’” Cassidy said.
The surgeon general nomination requires Senate confirmation, and it remains unclear how Saphier will fare with lawmakers, particularly given ongoing tensions over vaccine policy and broader public health priorities under Kennedy’s leadership.
The surgeon general serves as a key public health voice, historically responsible for issuing guidance on issues ranging from smoking and infectious diseases to mental health. The role has taken on heightened political significance in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.
Saphier’s views on pandemic policy and preventive health align with several top officials in the current administration, including Jay Bhattacharya, who has been involved in shaping federal health strategy.
Her nomination also reflects the administration’s continued emphasis on lifestyle-based approaches to chronic disease, including diet and exercise, alongside skepticism toward some traditional public health measures.
The White House is expected to formally submit Saphier’s nomination to the Senate, where she will undergo a confirmation process that includes committee hearings and a floor vote.
Lawmakers from both parties are likely to scrutinize her medical background, policy views and public statements as they weigh her suitability for the nation’s top health advisory role.
