Laura Loomer Blasts Return of FDA Vaccine Chief She Helped Force Out
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Laura Loomer has reacted with anger after a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine chief she criticized returned to the agency.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the conservative commentator slammed President Donald Trump's administration for rehiring Dr. Vinay Prasad two weeks after he resigned from his role leading the FDA's vaccines and gene therapy division.
Why It Matters
Loomer is an influential figure in right-wing circles. She was present alongside Trump on the 2024 campaign trail, and she has been tied to his decision to fire National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and other aides, although the president has denied that she was the reason for the sackings.
Prasad used to work for the University of California, San Francisco. He has also previously worked at the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health.
Laura Loomer outside the U.S. Capitol on June 12, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Laura Loomer outside the U.S. Capitol on June 12, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
What To Know
Prasad, a physician who was first appointed to the role in May, left the FDA on July 30 following pressure from Loomer and other political influencers.
Prasad had faced backlash over the agency's handling of a gene therapy linked to the deaths of two teenagers and his decision not to approve certain drugs.
Loomer had also repeatedly claimed Prasad was liberal and said he was anti-Trump.
"How did this Trump-hating Bernie [Sanders] Bro get into the Trump admin???" Loomer posted on X in July.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary had defended Prasad, who was a critic of vaccine and mask mandates, prior to his resignation.
After it was reported he would return, writing on X, Loomer called the decision to rehire Prasad "egregious."
She also indicated she would launch critiques of other figures, saying she "will be ramping up my exposés of officials within the HHS [Department of Health and Human Services] and FDA so the American people can see more of the pay for play rot themselves and how rabid Trump haters continue to be hired in the Trump administration."
NEW:
In another egregious personnel decision under the Trump administration, it is now being reported that longtime progressive Marxist Vinay Prasad who referred to President Trump's supporters as criminals and compared them to drug addicts after saying he stabbed a Trump voodoo… https://t.co/5T8CXjVRgi pic.twitter.com/vhJ3IGM3Nq — Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) August 9, 2025
What People Are Saying
Department Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement to Reuters: "At the FDA's request, Dr. Vinay Prasad is resuming leadership of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research."
When he resigned, Prasad said he "did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA" and had "decided to return to California and spend more time with his family."
What Happens Next
As Trump's presidency continues, it is likely that there will be further personnel changes in government departments.
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