Trump pulls Casey Means' nomination as surgeon general, naming new pick

Washington — President Trump on Thursday said he is nominating Dr. Nicole B. Saphier to be the next U.S. surgeon general, replacing his nomination of Casey Means, whose bid has stalled in the Senate for months. 

The president announced the shuffle in a pair of posts on Truth Social. In the first, he blamed Sen. Bill Cassidy for Means’ nomination stalling in the wake of her confirmation hearing in February, saying the Louisiana Republican “has stood in the way” of his pick.

“I nominated Casey, a strong MAHA Warrior, at the recommendation of Secretary Kennedy, who understands the MAHA Movement better than anyone, with perhaps the possible exception of ME!” he wrote. “Nevertheless, despite Senator Cassidy’s intransigence and political games, Casey will continue to fight for MAHA on the many important Health issues facing our Country.”

Minutes later, Mr. Trump said he’s nominating Saphier, a radiologist and director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Monmouth. She was a Fox News Channel medical contributor until her nomination. In 2020, she wrote the book, “Make America Healthy Again: How Bad Behavior and Big Government Caused a Trillion-Dollar Crisis.” She hosts a health and wellness podcast called “Wellness Unmasked.” 

“Nicole is a STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer through their diagnosis and treatment while tirelessly advocating to increase early cancer detection and prevention, while at the same time working with men and women on all other forms of cancer diagnoses and treatments,” the president wrote. “She is also an INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR, who makes complicated health issues more easily understood by all Americans.”

Means’ confirmation hearing was Feb. 25, but since then, the process stalled as she struggled to receive sufficient support in the Senate. 

Among a handful of notable moments during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health Committee, Means in her testimony wouldn’t directly say if she would encourage mothers to vaccinate their children. Cassidy, who is a doctor, and others on the committee have stressed the value of many vaccines in saving lives. When asked about vaccines and any potential link to autism, Means told the committee the “science is never settled.” 

Means also publicly acknowledged experimenting with psychedelic drugs in her 30s.

Means, who was educated as a physician, does not have a currently active medical license, something that was pointed out in her confirmation hearing. The president nominated Means in May 2025, but her confirmation hearing was delayed when she gave birth to her first child.