Chicago – May 06, 2026
President Donald Trump’s new surgeon general pick, Dr. Nicole Saphier, is facing scrutiny after deleted social media posts surfaced showing she previously criticized Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccines, autism, and other health policy issues. The revelations add a fresh political complication to a nomination that came after earlier choices for the post stalled.
Saphier argued in now-deleted posts that the administration may have been downplaying measles risks and questioned the science behind some of Trump’s public health claims. She also criticized Kennedy’s overhaul of federal vaccine policy, saying the changes had created confusion and undermined transparency.
The deleted posts show that Saphier, a Fox News contributor and radiologist, had publicly supported Trump at times but later diverged sharply from his health agenda. In one post, she urged a return to policy-driven health reform rather than messaging and press releases. The contrast may raise questions for senators weighing her confirmation, especially as vaccine policy remains a politically charged issue.
The episode underscores how deleted posts can quickly reshape a nomination fight in the digital age. For Trump and Kennedy, it also highlights the tensions inside their health coalition as they push a more aggressive, and often controversial, public health agenda.
