Trump taps Nicole Saphier for surgeon general after pulling Casey Means

President Donald Trump on Thursday welcomed his previous pick, Dr. Donald Trump, whose Senate confirmation process has been stalled for months. After retiring Casey Means, he named Dr. Casey as the next U.S. surgeon general. He said he would nominate Nicole Saphier.

Saphier is a breast radiologist and formerly a contributor to Fox News. He is listed as director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center-Monmouth and author of several books. These include a book criticizing the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic and arguing that political agendas often trump scientific guidance.

“Nicole is a STAR doctor who has spent her career guiding the diagnosis and treatment of women facing breast cancer, tirelessly advocating for increased early detection and prevention of cancer, as well as working with men and women on all other types of cancer diagnosis and treatment,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.

“He is also an AMAZING COMMUNICATOR who makes complex health issues easier to understand for all Americans,” Trump continued.

Means was nominated at the recommendation of his close ally, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. His nomination stalled in the Senate for more than two months over concerns about his controversial stances on vaccines, birth control, pesticides and psychedelics.

His brother, Calley Means, is a senior White House advisor.

On Thursday, Trump also accused Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., of standing in the way of Means’ nomination.

“I nominated Casey, a strong MAHA Warrior, at the recommendation of Secretary Kennedy, who understands the MAHA Movement better than anyone else, perhaps except me!” Trump wrote and added: “Casey, thank you for your service to our nation!”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the fact that Nicole Saphier is no longer a Fox News contributor. His current role was misstated in a previous version.