Opposition forming against radiologist nominee for surgeon general

Opposition is reportedly forming against a radiologist nominated as the next U.S. surgeon general. 

President Donald Trump on April 30 announced he is picking Nicole B. Saphier, MD, a board-certified breast specialist with Memorial Sloan Kettering, to serve in the key role. As the “nation’s doctor,” she would act as chief health educator and spokesperson for the country, serving as a primary authority on public health issues. 

Saphier replaces the previous surgeon general pick, Casey Means, MD, an author and wellness influencer, who faced concerns about her qualifications and views on vaccines. According to Politico, some involved in the “Make American Healthy Again” movement—focused on quashing chronic disease and reducing the influence of Big Pharma on medicine—are now lining up against Saphier’s nomination. 

“Dr. Saphier would be a catastrophic mistake on messaging and communicating with MAHA at a time where the coalition is very fragile,” Alex Clark, a MAHA activist and podcast host, wrote on social media May 1. 

Other backers of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also have publicly bashed the pick change, according to Politico. They’ve charged she is “out of step” with the MAHA movement and risks blunting its momentum. Kennedy, meanwhile, endorsed the new surgeon general nominee’s selection. 

“Dr. Nicole Saphier is a long-time warrior for the MAHA movement,” Kennedy wrote on social media. 

CNN also discussed this deepening “MAHA-MAGA” rift in a news update published Thursday, with some claiming the move away from Means could dampen enthusiasm ahead of the midterms. The White House has reportedly sought to highlight the radiologist’s own “MAHA credentials” since the nomination. They include Saphier’s opposition to COVID vaccine mandates and a book she wrote that used the “Make America Healthy Again” moniker before it became widespread. 

“She’s very much in the MAHA mold,” one White House official told CNN. “Philosophically, I don’t think there’s much daylight.”

The report claimed there’s no guarantee Saphier will win her confirmation in Congress. She reportedly had previously been weighed as a potential surgeon general pick after the 2024 election. However, Saphier was initially dismissed as a candidate, due to concerns about whether her diagnostic radiology specialty had “put her in direct-enough contact with patients.” 

But amid fierce opposition to Means, advisors have reportedly softened on these concerns, with Saphier seen as a more traditional, conservative pick to fill the crucial role. Her nomination has drawn praise from others including the American College of Radiology, which notes that, if confirmed, she would represent the highest-ranking radiologist ever to serve in the U.S. government. 

“She’s MAHA, but it’s like, sane MAHA,” the Trump adviser said of Saphier, according to CNN. “There’s a lot of stuff that MAHA supports, like cleaner food—that’s really popular stuff. But I also think that vaccines are very popular, and the White House has to take a good, strong, commonsense position on this stuff.”