President-elect Donald Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary, a pancreatic surgeon at Johns Hopkins University who's made controversial claims about Covid, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
Makary is the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins, according to the university’s website. He also served in leadership at the World Health Organization Patient Safety Program and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, which is part of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. He's also served as a public adviser to Paragon Health Institute, a conservative health care think tank, and regularly appears on Fox News.
"FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator. The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency," Trump said on Truth Social.
"He will work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation's food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation's youth, so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic," Trump said.
The position requires Senate confirmation. As FDA commissioner, Makary would be responsible for regulating and overseeing drugs, food, medical devices and other products, such as tobacco and cosmetics.
Makary has made some controversial statements in the past, particularly about the pandemic. He said that the federal government was the “greatest perpetrator” of misinformation during the pandemic.
He was a proponent of natural immunity, saying it was "at least" as effective or even better than immunity provided by vaccines, ignoring the risk of infections. He also argued the nation would reach herd immunity by April 2021.
He’s claimed that myocarditis, a rare heart condition, is more common after Covid vaccination than after a Covid infection, a claim which has been debunked by several studies.
In 2023, he also wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing the Biden administration's decision to recommend the Covid boosters for younger patients who are at lower risk. The idea that young, healthy people don't need additional Covid vaccines is now more widely accepted among the medical community.
If nominated and confirmed, Makary would potentially work under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has picked for Secretary of Health and Human Services. The FDA is one of 13 agencies that falls under HHS’s purview.
The pick of Kennedy was heavily criticized by the medical and scientific community, given his controversial views when it comes to public health, including anti-vaccine activism.
Appearing Sunday on Fox News, Makary defended Kennedy, saying he’s the least “scary” thing happening in the U.S. health care system and people shouldn’t “dissect” things Kennedy’s said “30 years ago.”
“He wants to address corruption in health care and corruption in our government health agencies,” Makary said. “A lot of people don’t like that message and a lot of people are threatened by it.”
Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said Makary isn’t fit for the role of FDA commissioner, given his past comments on Covid and defense of Kennedy.
"He's willing to lie to the American public," Offit said. "Why do we think this someone who should head the FDA?"
The current FDA commissioner is Dr. Robert Califf, a cardiologist who also held the role during President Barack Obama's second term.
Trump had two FDA commissioners during his first term: physician Dr. Scott Gottlieb and oncologist Dr. Stephen Hahn.
