President Donald Trump is making a third attempt to fill a key public health post, announcing this week that he will nominate Dr. Nicole Saphier as surgeon general after two previous candidates failed to secure enough support in the Senate.
The move follows unsuccessful nomination efforts involving Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat and wellness influencer Casey Means. Both candidates faced resistance from lawmakers, leaving the position open as the administration searches for a viable nominee who can advance through the confirmation process.
Saphier, 44, is a radiologist and director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center–Monmouth. She also serves as an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, focusing on breast and oncologic imaging. Trump praised her qualifications in a Truth Social post, calling her a “STAR physician” and “an INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR, who makes complicated health issues more easily understood by all Americans.”
Her nomination signals a continued effort by the administration to align public health leadership with its broader messaging. Trump added that Saphier would “do great things for our Country” and help “MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN,” echoing a phrase that has become central to the health agenda promoted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr..
Saphier is closely associated with that messaging. Her 2020 book, Make America Healthy Again: How Bad Behavior and Big Government Caused a Trillion-Dollar Crisis, explores themes such as personal responsibility in health care, rising costs, and chronic disease. In the book, she argues that government-driven health policies alone cannot resolve systemic issues without changes in individual behavior.
“We don’t need socialized medicine — we need to take better care of ourselves,” Saphier wrote, emphasizing prevention and lifestyle choices. The book also critiques policies like the Affordable Care Act and single-payer proposals, stating that such approaches “ignore something crucial to lowering the overall financial burden: personal responsibility.”
At the same time, Saphier has expressed a more nuanced stance on the broader “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement championed by Kennedy. In an interview with Rolling Stone last year, she said: “Do I think it is the end-all be-all and going to save the health care system? No, I don’t.” She added that while she supports aspects of the movement, she does not agree with every component, noting her experience working within the health-care system.
Her professional background includes both clinical practice and policy engagement. In her biography, Saphier highlights her focus on breast cancer screening and diagnosis, as well as her involvement in advocacy aimed at reaching broader populations beyond her direct patients.
Saphier is also a familiar media presence, having served as a Fox News contributor since 2018. She hosts an iHeartRadio podcast, Wellness Unmasked, where she discusses health policy and wellness topics. On a recent episode, she addressed the Pentagon’s decision to end mandatory flu vaccinations for service members, taking a cautious approach.
“I don’t know if I’m for or against this move,” she said, emphasizing the need for data to evaluate outcomes. She stressed that policymakers should monitor infection rates, hospitalizations, and military readiness before drawing conclusions. “Good health policy shouldn’t be driven by ideology or people trying to get political talking points,” she said. “It should be driven by evidence.”
Her views on vaccines reflect a similarly measured position. While she supports the importance of immunizations such as measles and polio vaccines, she has questioned certain mandates and advocated for “risk-based” recommendations rather than universal requirements. She has also stated that evidence linking vaccines to autism or cancer is limited and inconclusive.
Vaccine policy was a key issue in the rejection of Trump’s previous nominee, Means. During a confirmation hearing, Means declined to say whether she would encourage routine childhood vaccinations, drawing criticism from members of the Senate Health Committee, including Bill Cassidy and Lisa Murkowski.
