1. United States
2. Ala.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose Nicole Saphier's appointment to U.S. Surgeon General. Saphier is a wellness influencer more interested in selling dangerous herbal remedies than giving credible medical guidance. She is unfit to serve as America's doctor. Saphier, a practicing radiologist and Trump’s third pick for the role, is a more traditional nominee than his previous choice, Casey Means, but she still brings serious baggage to the job. She owns DropRx, a company that sells unregulated “tinctures” containing kava kava root, an ingredient the FDA warns can cause severe liver injury, and has only pledged to divest if she’s confirmed. Saphier’s own books clearly demonstrate her concerning views on health and healthcare. She has argued—incorrectly—that healthcare costs are driven by individuals’ own lifestyle choices and criticized pandemic-era shutdowns, school closures, mask mandates, and the World Health Organization’s COVID response. She distanced herself from vaccine misinformation pushed by Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at her confirmation hearing but has quietly removed posts criticizing the Trump administration’s anti-science policies from her social media. The real question isn’t whether Saphier can say the right things in a hearing, but whether she’ll be allowed to tell Americans the truth once she’s inside an administration actively working to unravel vaccine guidance. The Surgeon General’s office needs someone whose credibility and independence are beyond question.