Trump’s New Pick for Surgeon General Opposed COVID Vaccine Mandates, Especially for Kids
The president blamed Sen. Bill Cassidy for sinking Casey Means’ nomination, and said Means “will continue to fight for MAHA.”
This article originally appeared on The Defender and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D.
President Donald Trump yesterday withdrew the nomination of Dr. Casey Means to serve as U.S. surgeon general. He tapped Dr. Nicole B. Saphier — a radiologist who previously questioned COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates — as his new nominee. The president blamed Sen. Bill Cassidy for sinking Means’ nomination, and said Means “will continue to fight for MAHA.”
President Donald Trump yesterday withdrew the nomination of Dr. Casey Means to serve as U.S. surgeon general. He tapped Dr. Nicole B. Saphier — a radiologist who previously questioned COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates — as his new nominee.
Trump posted the news on Truth Social on Thursday. He described Saphier, director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth in New Jersey and a Fox News contributor, as a “star physician” and advocate for women facing breast cancer who will advance the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.
In May 2025, Trump nominated Means, a holistic medicine doctor and supporter of the MAHA movement. But after her confirmation hearing in February, her nomination stalled.
Means’ brother, Calley Means, serves as a senior adviser at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In another Truth Social post today, Trump blamed Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, for holding up Means’ nomination, calling him “a very disloyal person.” Cassidy has frequently clashed with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine policy.
“Casey will continue to fight for MAHA on the many important Health issues facing our Country, such as the rising childhood disease epidemic, increased autism rates, poor nutrition, over-medicalization, and researching the root causes of infertility, and many other difficult medical problems,” Trump wrote.
Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense, said the withdrawal of Means’ nomination and the selection of Saphier is a pragmatic move. She said:
“Politics is the art of the possible, and after nearly a year, it was impossible to push through Dr. Means’ confirmation as Surgeon General, apparently because of opposition from Republican Chair of the Senate Health Committee Bill Cassidy.
“Dr. Saphier appears to be a safe choice for confirmation, as she is both an experienced clinician and public speaker on medicine.”
Means was Trump’s second nominee for surgeon general. In November 2024, as president-elect, Trump tapped Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for the position. He withdrew her nomination in May 2025, just one day before her confirmation hearing.
If confirmed, Saphier would serve as the nation’s top public health voice and oversee the 6,000-member U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a federal branch whose officers include physicians, nurses, scientists and engineers.
Saphier: Vaccine mandates ‘knee-jerk’ policies that don’t stop transmission
According to The Washington Post, Means’ nomination stalled “as some Republicans questioned her stance on vaccines, her medical credentials and her pushes against the medical establishment.”
Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, Saphier publicly expressed confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines and suggested that anyone who wishes to get the vaccine should take the first available dose. However, she also called vaccination a “personal choice” and said not everyone would need to get vaccinated.
Saphier also has a history of questioning vaccine safety. During the pandemic, she repeatedly questioned the need for vaccine and mask mandates — including for children.
During a 2021 interview, Saphier said that it was time for the U.S. to “move forward” from vaccine mandates and allow the then-Omicron variant to “circulate.” She called vaccine mandates “knee-jerk” policies that do little to decrease viral transmission.
The following year, Saphier warned in a now-hidden tweet that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine-related policy, was considering mandating COVID-19 vaccination for schoolchildren.
In 2023, amid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections that led some hospitals and local communities to consider reinstating mask mandates, Saphier said there was “no place” for such policies.
Holland welcomed Saphier’s past stance on vaccine and mask mandates.
“I am pleased to see that she spoke out convincingly on Fox about school mask mandates,” Holland said.
Jeffrey Tucker, president and founder of the Brownstone Institute, called Saphier’s nomination a “good choice.”
“I’m reading Dr. Saphier’s 2021 book now and I’m very impressed. She is precise, accurate, and brave for speaking out against lockdowns, closures and shot mandates so early,” Tucker said. “She was strong against mask mandates and school closures, really a voice of rationality in crazy times.”
Despite Saphier’s past questioning of vaccine mandates, Dr. Anahita Dua, a surgeon who is founder and chair of Healthcare for Action, a healthcare-focused political action committee supportive of the Democratic Party, welcomed the nomination — and the withdrawal of Means’ nomination.
“Saphier at least has real-world experience with treating patients and a better understanding of the ins and outs of our healthcare system,” Dua said in a statement provided to The Defender. “As a physician, I am hopeful that Saphier will stay true to science and facts if she indeed becomes the next Surgeon General of the United States.”
Related articles in The Defender
Trump Taps MAHA Supporter Dr. Casey Means for Surgeon General
Trump’s Picks for Surgeon General and Top Posts at FDA, CDC Earn Mixed Reviews
RFK Jr. Clashes With Lawmakers Over Measles, COVID and Chronic Disease
Sen. Cassidy Calls for Delay of Vaccine Advisers Meeting, Criticizes RFK Jr.’s New Appointees
Donate to Children’s Health Defense
Means was always suspect in my thinking. I still believe there are better choices…