US President Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier as the next US Surgeon General after the withdrawal of ’ nomination amid mounting Senate scrutiny.
the decision on April 30, praising Saphier as “a STAR physician” with extensive experience in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Radiologist and breast cancer specialist
Nicole Saphier is an American radiologist, medical commentator, author and public health advocate best known for her work in breast imaging and television medical analysis.
Born in January 1982 in Scottsdale, Arizona, Saphier earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Ross University School of Medicine. She later completed radiology training at Maricopa Integrated Health Systems and pursued a fellowship at Mayo Clinic.
Saphier currently serves as director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Monmouth facility in New Jersey and is also an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Fox News contributor and public figure
From 2018 to 2026, Saphier worked as a medical contributor for Fox News, frequently appearing on television during the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health debates.
She also hosted the health and wellness podcast Wellness Unmasked and authored several books, including:
Make America Healthy Again: How Bad Behavior and Big Government Caused a Trillion-Dollar Crisis (2020)
Panic Attack: Playing Politics with Science in the Fight Against COVID-19
Love, Mom: Inspiring Stories Celebrating Motherhood (2024)
Her 2020 book promoted prevention-focused healthcare and criticised aspects of government-managed healthcare systems.
Not always fully aligned with Trump
Although now nominated by Trump, Saphier has occasionally distanced herself from his rhetoric on health issues.
She previously criticised both the Trump and Biden administrations for what she described as the “politicization of science” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, she advocated ending mask and vaccine mandates, while continuing to defend vaccination more broadly.
More recently, Saphier publicly pushed back after Trump warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol.
“For decades, women have endured a paternalistic tone in medicine,” she said.
“The President’s recent comments on Tylenol in pregnancy are a prime example. Advising moderation was sound; delivering it in a patronizing, simplistic way was not.”
Links to MAHA movement
Saphier is considered broadly aligned with the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Trump allies focused on food safety, chronic disease prevention and skepticism toward parts of the public health establishment.
At the same time, she has attempted to position herself as more mainstream and medically grounded than some figures in the movement.
She currently serves on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women and advises the New Jersey Department of Health.
Why Casey Means’ nomination collapsed
Trump turned to Saphier after ’ nomination ran into serious resistance in the Senate.
Lawmakers questioned Means’ qualifications, including her incomplete surgical residency, inactive medical license and controversial vaccine comments.
Means faced backlash for a 2024 social media post describing hepatitis B vaccination for low-risk newborns as “absolute insanity.”
Republican senators including Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins reportedly expressed concerns about supporting her nomination.
Trump blamed “political games” and criticism from lawmakers, including Bill Cassidy, for derailing the confirmation effort.
Can Saphier secure Senate confirmation?
Saphier’s nomination is viewed by many Republicans as a safer and more conventional choice than Means.
Her clinical credentials, media experience and established role within mainstream medicine may help her avoid some of the confirmation problems that plagued Trump’s earlier nominees.
However, senators are still expected to scrutinize her pandemic-era comments, views on vaccine mandates and ties to Trump’s broader healthcare agenda during confirmation hearings in the coming weeks.
