President Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Dr. Casey Means, his pick for surgeon general, whose confirmation was stalled on Capitol Hill amid opposition, including from some Republicans, in part over her views on vaccines.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Mr. Trump announced that he is nominating Dr. Nicole B. Saphier, a radiologist and director of breast imaging at MSK Monmouth, a branch of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.
He described Dr. Saphier as “a STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer” and “an INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR, who makes complicated health issues more easily understood by all Americans. ”
In an earlier post on Thursday, Mr. Trump assailed Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who is the chairman of the Senate health committee, saying that Mr. Cassidy had “stood in the way of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Nominee, Casey Means, for the important position of U.S. Surgeon General.” (Mr. Kennedy, who is the health secretary, does not make nominations; the president does.)
Dr. Means, a Stanford-educated “functional medicine” physician and wellness influencer, did not make vaccines a central part of her identity as a doctor or a nominee. She couched her language carefully when asked about vaccination during her confirmation hearings. She said that “vaccines save lives,” but stopped short of recommending vaccines against measles and influenza, saying instead that decisions about vaccination should be made jointly by parents and their pediatricians.
Dr. Means was not immediately available for comment.
Mr. Cassidy had not stated a position on Dr. Means. But even if he had supported her, two other key Republicans on the health panel — Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — have refused to commit to voting in favor of her, which has kept her nomination stuck in committee.
The withdrawal of her nomination is bound to be a deep disappointment for the Make America Healthy Again movement, whose leaders met recently with the president and his aides, and told them that the confirmation of Dr. Means was important to them.
On Wednesday, two senior administration officials, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about Mr. Trump’s health policies, declined to say what the administration’s strategy was for getting Dr. Means confirmed, or whether Mr. Trump had leaned on senators to support her.
Mr. Trump is angry with Mr. Cassidy, who voted to convict the president of an impeachment charge of “incitement of insurrection” in 2021, and has endorsed Mr. Cassidy’s opponent in next month’s primary election in Louisiana.
Dr. Means is the sister of Calley Means, a top adviser to Mr. Kennedy. In a lengthy post on X, Mr. Means also assailed Mr. Cassidy. “I am so proud of Casey, and the way she conducted herself during this process,” he wrote. “I am also proud to work for the Trump admin, who has marshaled the disruptive MAHA message and driven victories against dark forces personified by Bill Cassidy. At every step, Casey’s message of hope and empowerment was thwarted by Bill Cassidy.”
Dr. Saphier is Mr. Trump’s third surgeon general nominee. His first was Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor. But her nomination was withdrawn in May 2025 when Laura Loomer, a right-wing influencer who is close to the president, opposed her. Ms. Loomer also opposed the nomination of Dr. Means, but said in an interview several months ago that she had given up that fight, because it appeared at the time that Dr. Means would be confirmed.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg is a correspondent based in Washington for The New York Times, covering Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Trump’s health agenda.
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