Dr. Nicole Saphier, Trump's 3rd surgeon general pick, faces Senate
questions over her vaccine stance
[September 17, 2026]
By FATIMA HUSSEIN and ALI SWENSON
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Nicole Saphier, President Donald Trump’s third
surgeon general nominee, was grilled at her Senate confirmation hearing
Wednesday about her stance on childhood vaccines, voicing support for
immunization as she seeks to serve in an administration that has moved
to make sweeping changes to vaccine guidance.
Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor, faced
tough questioning about her views on the safety of childhood vaccines by
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who pressed her to declare whether she
believed there was a link between vaccines and autism — which widespread
scientific consensus has concluded doesn’t exist, yet which the Trump
administration has repeatedly pushed to revisit.
“I do not believe childhood vaccines cause autism,” Saphier said. She
also said “the MMR vaccine is our greatest tool for combating measles,”
in response to a question by Cassidy over whether parents should give
children that shot. MMR stands for measles, mumps and rubella, and the
president recently called for the shots to be spaced out.
She suggested support for vaccines as a critical tool to prevent
infection and said she appreciated the administration's attempts to
address questions and concerns among “the vaccine hesitant people,”
which Cassidy countered was only creating more confusion. Cassidy pushed
Saphier to speak with clarity on some of her answers on vaccines, which
she repeatedly presented as a belief rather than a known scientific
fact.
Saphier is nominated for a position that carries limited policymaking
power but serves as a loud megaphone as the nation’s top communicator to
Americans on public health issues.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Trump have
both suggested that childhood vaccines, such as MMR, may play a role in
causing autism. Evidence from decades of studies and real-world use of
vaccines have proven there is no link between vaccines and autism.
The administration has taken steps to upend the nation's vaccine
guidance — many of them since halted by a judge — including downsizing
the childhood immunization schedule. Medical groups and doctors have
warned that the changes could stoke vaccine hesitancy.
Saphier is Trump's third pick for surgeon general
Saphier is Trump’s newest pick after entrepreneur and wellness
influencer Dr. Casey Means saw her path forward stall in the Senate over
her background and vaccine views. Trump withdrew his first nominee, Fox
News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat, after questions arose about
her academic credentials. The position has been vacant throughout
Trump’s second term.
Like Means, who is a close Kennedy ally, Saphier has questioned whether
every child needs to get the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, a longtime
recommendation that the Trump administration has been trying to weaken.
On Wednesday, she said the universal birth dose of hepatitis B was safe
and effective.
An author and podcaster who previously hosted her own show, “Wellness
Unmasked with Dr. Nicole Saphier,” Saphier frequently commented on the
Trump administration’s approach to health, often positively. She also
used the phrase “Make America Healthy Again” years before Kennedy
popularized it. It was the title of a 2020 book she wrote that
criticized the government’s handling of healthcare and the Affordable
Care Act.
While being supportive of the Trump administration at large, Saphier
has, however, disagreed with Trump and Kennedy on some issues, telling
The Associated Press last fall that Trump’s cautions to pregnant women
who take Tylenol were oversimplistic and “patronizing.”
Last year, she decried the administration's long-anticipated first
attempt at a MAHA report, which cited some studies that didn’t exist,
calling it "pretty embarrassing.” She said Kennedy’s firing of his first
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, Susan Monarez,
after less than a month on the job was “a mess.”
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Dr. Nicole Saphier, surgeon general nominee, testifies before the
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions during a
confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
 “When we keep hearing radical
transparency and we’re going to regain trust, I can tell you these
shenanigans are taking us farther away from that mission,” Saphier
said on her podcast. On Wednesday, she said she promised to restore
public trust if confirmed.
At the start of the Senate health committee hearing, Cassidy noted
the “serious health issues” facing the country, highlighting
Kennedy's efforts to scale back vaccine guidance at a time when the
U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles in decades.
“That is going to be a terrible legacy for this administration,”
Cassidy said, telling Saphier and other nominees appearing alongside
her at the hearing that he hoped they would restore confidence in
public health.
Cassidy, who was defeated by a Trump-backed challenger in his
Republican primary earlier this year, then criticized what he called
“irresponsible” health policy leadership.
During lawmakers' questioning, Saphier was also asked whether she
would follow unlawful orders by the president or Kennedy — she said
she would follow the law — and was tested on her knowledge of the
medication mifepristone, which is used to manage miscarriages and
abortions.
It was not immediately clear when the committee planned to vote on
whether to advance Saphier, who would still need a vote by the full
Senate to be confirmed.
Also facing lawmakers’ questions Wednesday was Chris Klomp, chief
counselor of the Health and Human Services Department, who has been
nominated to serve as Kennedy’s second-in-command. Timothy Westlake,
chief of staff at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration who is seeking confirmation to be assistant secretary
for mental health and substance use, was also questioned.
Saphier says she would divest from some holdings
Saphier is director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering
Monmouth, according to her profile on the New York-based
institution’s website. She has a doctor of medicine degree from Ross
University School of Medicine in Barbados along with fellowships at
the Mayo Clinic, the profile said.
Her latest ethics filing, dated Sept. 7, shows holdings with various
healthcare and insurance firms, as well as processed food companies,
like Coca-Cola, Yum Brands, the Hershey Co. and cigarette maker
Philip Morris.
Before entering politics and throughout his tenure at the health
department, Kennedy has criticized big pharmaceutical companies and
insurance firms for alleged corruption and decried ultraprocessed
foods as contributing to a nationwide chronic disease crisis.
Additionally, Saphier owns DropRx, a firm that produces
controversial, unregulated tinctures — concentrated liquid extracts
promoting focus and calm — that contain ingredients, including kava
kava root, described by the FDA as potentially causing severe liver
injury.
Her filing says she will resign from her position with DropRx and
Empower MD LLC, which owns DropRx, if she is confirmed.
She states in the document that she would partially or fully divest
from holdings that would present a conflict to serving as surgeon
general.
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