Overview
- CNN’s KFile, which reported Wednesday, found archived posts that Dr. Nicole Saphier deleted after she questioned Trump’s MRI, pushed back on his Tylenol claims, criticized vaccine panel changes, and suggested measles data were being downplayed.
- The White House defended Saphier as a skilled physician and communicator, with spokesperson Kush Desai saying she will drive President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.
- RFK Jr. allies told CNN they feel sidelined on the selection, as a Trump adviser called the MAHA movement “overrated,” though the White House said Kennedy remains central to the health agenda.
- Saphier is Trump’s third nominee after Janette Nesheiwat and Casey Means faltered, and the surgeon general post, which issues national advisories and leads the U.S. Public Health Service, now moves toward Senate review.
- A federal judge in March 2026 ruled the vaccine advisory overhaul violated procedures and left the panel short on vaccine experts, a dispute Saphier has cited in arguing for a more measured, data-led reset.