Latest news with #JanetteNesheiwat
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The Independent
09-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Fox News' Brian Kilmeade gripes that Laura Loomer shouldn't have ‘credibility to pick' who serves in Trump admin
Fox & Friends co-anchor Brian Kilmeade appeared uneasy with the prospect that far-right extremist Laura Loomer has the ear of Donald Trump these days, explicitly saying on Friday that he doesn't feel that Loomer should have 'the credibility to pick who is on' the president's staff. Kilmeade's concern with the level of influence Loomer holds over the White House comes as the 'proud Islamophobe' appears to be taking credit for the president pulling the nomination of Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general, which she described as another 'scalp' she had claimed. Nesheiwat, a former Fox News pundit, had recently seen her nomination as surgeon general come under scrutiny over reports that she embellished her medical credentials. At the same time, though, Nesheiwat had also been targeted by Loomer – a virulent anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist – for promoting the Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic. Just a day before Nesheiwat was scheduled to appear before a Senate confirmation hearing, Trump announced that he was withdrawing her nomination and replacing her with 'wellness influencer' Casey Means, a close ally of HHS chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump boasted has 'impeccable 'MAHA' credentials.' Means, who claims she now practices 'functional medicine,' currently doesn't have an active medical license. During Friday's broadcast of the president's favorite morning talk show, Kilmeade appeared to be sending Trump a message that he shouldn't be relying on Loomer to make decisions on who should or shouldn't be serving in the administration. Discussing Fox News anchor Bret Baier's interview with Kennedy and other HHS officials, which featured the HHS secretary dodging a question on his former running mate's claims that someone is 'controlling his decisions,' Kilmeade then brought up Trump switching up his pick for the nation's top doctor. 'I guess the surgeon general is not there yet,' he declared. 'Casey Means, she's gonna get the job, she's gonna fit right in. Dr. Nesheiwat is gonna be joining that team, and I think she is, I don't know, for some reason she was pulled from surgeon general.' Adding that he's glad his former Fox News colleague is still 'gonna be involved,' Kilmeade then said he hoped Nesheiwat's nomination 'wasn't pulled because of Laura Loomer' as she 'seems to be taking a bow of getting a scalp and pushing somebody away from the Trump administration.' In the end, the Trump-boosting Fox host wanted it known that he didn't believe that Loomer should be someone the administration, or the president himself, takes seriously. 'I just don't think she should be having the credibility to pick who's on staff,' he concluded. Besides Nesheiwat, whom Loomer had targeted for urging people to get vaccinated during the coronavirus pandemic, the self-described 'investigative journalist' had also recently pushed the White House to clear house at the National Security Council following the Signalgate scandal. Shortly after she visited the Oval Office, in which she presented her research showing several staffers were 'disloyal' to Trump, a 'bloodbath' took place on the council and multiple members were fired. While national security adviser Mike Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were initially spared, Loomer took credit for their 'scalps' after the president removed both from their roles earlier this month. Waltz, who created the infamous Signal chat that mistakenly added The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg and included sensitive war plans being shared, has since been nominated to be the United States ambassador to the United Nations. Though Loomer crowed about Nesheiwat being withdrawn as the surgeon general nominee, she has also loudly complained about Means being named in her place. 'How is the top doctor in the U.S. supposed to give medical guidance and advice to the nation when she doesn't even have an active medical license in the state where she allegedly practiced medicine?' Loomer griped on X. 'Does Casey Means even have an active medical license in any state?? This is so embarrassing for the Trump administration.' She added: 'It is worth noting that Casey Means doesn't have a surgical residency, and isn't a surgeon. The term Surgeon General is interesting given the fact that there is no requirement to be a Surgeon to be Surgeon General. Turns out you can be a social media influencer and become Surgeon General.'
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Trump's failed Surgeon General pick lands on her feet with a job at RFK Jr's HHS
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat may no longer be up for the role of surgeon general, but she'll still be part of the Trump administration, taking on a new, but vague, job in the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed during an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier on Thursday evening that Nesheiwat would be headed to the agency. 'We're going to put her at a very good place here at HHS,' Kennedy said. But the health secretary declined to specify what exactly that role might be. On X, Nesheiwat said she would work closely with Kennedy in 'a senior policy role' to support the Make America Healthy Again agenda. 'My focus continues to be improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn't changed,' Nesheiwat said. The Independent has asked the Department of Health and Human Services for comment about Nesheiwat's specific policy role. President Donald Trump initially tapped Nesheiwat to serve as surgeon general, but later rescinded her nomination after reports questioned her resume and Trump's close ally, conservative activist Laura Loomer, called for a new nominee. Nesheiwat, a former Fox News medical contributor, is a family medical physician who claimed to have graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. But a report from an independent journalist found that she actually graduated from the American University of the Caribbean. The University of Arkansas verified that Nesheiwat completed her residency at the school, but was not granted a degree. On top of that, Loomer, who has , denounced Nesheiwat for endorsing the Covid-19 vaccine. Nesheiwat had promoted the Covid-19 in 2021 in an op-ed for Fox News. Approximately one year later, she told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that she opposed vaccine mandates for children. Shortly after, Trump announced he would pull Nesheiwat's nomination and instead nominated wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means to serve as surgeon general.
Gizmodo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Gizmodo
MAGA Crackpots Turn on Trump's Crackpot Surgeon General Nominee
Donald Trump withdrew his nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, on Wednesday following controversy over her credentials. The president quickly nominated a new pick, wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means, but even the MAGA faithful have already gotten the knives out for her. Means attended Stanford Medical School and pursued her residency at Oregon Health & Science University, but dropped out before finishing the program, according to NPR. She's an anti-vaxxer who doesn't have a medical license and founded a company called Levels that sells products for monitoring glucose levels. Means, a close ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also frequently talks about the importance of 'spirituality' for health, as she did during an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast last year. Laura Loomer, who can likely be credited for getting at least half a dozen people fired from Trump's administration so far, has taken issue with Means and the far-right influencer seems to be most upset with her focus on spiritual matters. Means, like Kennedy and his MAHA movement, really emphasizes the role of spirituality in achieving the best health outcomes. 'I want to know which one of President Trump's geniuses chose a woman who literally talks to trees and spiritual mediums and who doesn't even have an active medical license to be the US Surgeon General,' Loomer wrote Thursday on X. 'I would call her a Witch Doctor, but she doesn't even have a valid active medical license. So I'm not going to call @CaseyMeansMD doctor.' Loomer almost certainly helped torpedo Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Trump's first nominee for Surgeon General. But when it came to Nesheiwat, it seemed like Loomer was most angered by her acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine. Loomer falsely claims the vaccine is 'now killing millions of people.' Loomer also took credit for getting others in Trump's government fired, like the Director of the NSA and the National Security Advisor. It's not just Loomer. Nicole Shanahan also has major issues with Means and vented them Wednesday on X. Shanahan was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate in the 2024 presidential election before he dropped out to endorse Trump. Shanahan wrote that it was 'very strange' how Means was being selected and said that she had been promised the influencer wouldn't be chosen for Surgeon General. 'I was promised that if I supported RFK Jr. in his Senate confirmation that neither of these siblings would be working under HHS or in an appointment (and that people much more qualified would be),' Shanahan wrote. 'I don't know if RFK very clearly lied to me, or what is going on. It has been clear in recent conversations that he is reporting to someone regularly who is controlling his decisions (and it isn't President Trump). With regards to the siblings, there is something very artificial and aggressive about them, almost like they were bred and raised Manchurian assets.' It's not entirely clear what Shanahan means by 'Manchurian assets' but it's similar to the phrase Manchurian Candidate, a reference to the 1962 movie where Communists brainwash a captured American soldier in order to get him to kill the U.S. president. Trump tweeted the announcement of Means as the nominee on Truth Social on Wednesday by praising her 'academic achievements' and her 'life's work' as 'absolutely outstanding.' 'Casey has impeccable 'MAHA' credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,' Trump wrote. 'Her academic achievements, together with her life's work, are absolutely outstanding. Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History. Congratulations to Casey!' But as of Thursday, Trump seemed to want it both ways. The president would like credit for selecting Means but is also keeping her at arm's length because he seems to sense that blowback is imminent. Asked about Means and her lack of a medical license on Thursday in the Oval Office of the White House, Trump said that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Bobby), liked her. REPORTER: You just announced a new nominee for US Surgeon General who never finished her residency, and is not a practicing physician. So can you explain why you picked her to be America's top doctor? TRUMP: Because Bobby thought she was fantastic … I don't know her [image or embed] — Aaron Rupar (@ May 8, 2025 at 8:43 AM Means, who wrote a book called Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast last year and belittled double-blind, placebo-controlled studies while sarcastically referring to 'the science' as a way to mock people who believe in things like vaccines. The Verge reports that Means and her company Levels was co-founded by Sam Corcos, who's currently helping Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency dismantle the federal government. But Trump's strategic ignorance of his own government does appear to be working out for him thus far. Many X users blamed Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, for choosing Means. And that kind of rationalization is to be expected among Trump supporters. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones recently said that Trump must not understand how bad Real ID is and blamed the people around him for leading him astray by allowing the Real ID deadline to become reality. Loomer is an anti-Muslim bigot and a ridiculous conspiracy theorist. But it's darkly funny to watch her wield enormous power in Trump's government. Here's this crackpot who got banned from ordering takeout from Uber Eats because she's too racist. And yet she gets to decide who might be the Surgeon General. What a country.
Arab News
08-05-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Nomination of Jordanian American as US surgeon general withdrawn over credentials controversy
CHICAGO: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday withdrew the nomination of Jordanian-American physician Janette Nesheiwat, a FOX TV medical contributor, to serve as the nation's surgeon general after critics alleged she falsified parts of her medical resume. In announcing his intention to nominate Nesheiwat in a release on Nov. 22, 2024, then President-elect Trump had said: 'Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives.' He added that she was a 'proud graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' and that her 'journey began with humble roots as one of five children raised by a widowed immigrant mother who worked as a nurse.' The information is reflected on her website at which states: 'Dr. Nesheiwat completed her medical residency at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, UAMS.' But records published by several media houses claim that Nesheiwat actually earned her medical degree from the American University of the CaribbeanSchool of Medicine, located in St. Maarten, in the Caribbean. Critics charge that Nesheiwat was never a student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Nesheiwat, whose parents are Christian-Arab immigrants from Amman, Jordan, was to appear before the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Thursday, May 8, 2025, to testify on her nomination before being confirmed. But her appearance was removed from the announcement on Wednesday afternoon. The US surgeon general oversees the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, an elite group of over 6,000 uniformed officers who are public health professionals. The USPHS mission is to protect, promote, and advance the health of the nation. Nesheiwat came under further scrutiny after conservative activist and Trump confidant Laura Loomer posted the allegations on Monday on X. Loomer stated that 'we can't have a pro-COVID vaccine nepo appointee who is currently embroiled in a medical malpractice case and who didn't go to medical school in the US as the US Surgeon General.' 'She is now being accused of lying about her credentials,' added Loomer. On X, Loomer has described the COVID-19 vaccinations as 'dangerous.' She added: 'Vaccines Cause Autism. Even Donald Trump knows this. That's why he has directed his new admin and his HHS secretary @RobertKennedyJr to INVESTIGATE the link between vaccines and autism.' Nesheiwat's sister, Julia Nesheiwat, is an American academic, business executive and former government official who served as the 10th homeland security advisor in the Trump administration from 2020 to 2021. She also held various positions in the administrations of former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Janette Nesheiwat was involved in a family tragedy when she was 13 years old in 1990. According to published reports, Nesheiwat had been looking for a pair of scissors when she reached into a fishing box on a shelf in her father's bedroom. The fishing box fell to the ground and a gun that was in it discharged, killing her sleeping father, Ziad Nesheiwat. In her 2024 book, 'Beyond the Stethoscope,' Nesheiwat said she became a doctor as a result of the tragedy. Ironically, the man Nesheiwat was to succeed as surgeon general, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, who was dismissed by Trump on April 21, had issued a public advisory in July 2024 that accidental firearm discharge deaths are 'an urgent public health crisis.' At the time of going to press, Nesheiwat had not responded to the news of the nomination withdrawal.
CNA
08-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
Trump replaces surgeon general pick with wellness influencer
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (May 7) that he was picking a wellness influencer to be US surgeon general, replacing his previous nominee one day before her Senate confirmation hearing was scheduled. Casey Means, who describes herself online as a "former surgeon turned metabolic health evangelist", was praised by Trump for her "MAHA" credentials - a reference to the "Make America Healthy Again" slogan. Her role would see her working under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose own appointment has raised concerns given his past promotion of vaccine-related conspiracy theories. Trump's previous pick for surgeon general was Janette Nesheiwat, a physician and former Fox News medical contributor, who the president said would instead work "in another capacity" at the health department. Nesheiwat was due to have her confirmation hearing on Thursday morning. Trump did not offer a reason for the switch, but US media noted that Laura Loomer - a far-right ally of the president - had complained about Nesheiwat's nomination over her advocacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and other concerns. Loomer, known for claiming the 9/11 attacks were an inside job, has reportedly been successful in pushing for the firing of other officials, including the head of the National Security Agency in April. Means holds a medical degree from Stanford University but does not currently practice. She co-authored a 2024 book called Good Energy that focuses on the connection between diet and health. She wrote the book with her brother Calley, who already serves as an advisor to RFK Jr. Trump said Means would work with Kennedy to "ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans". Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump called her achievements "absolutely outstanding" and said "Dr Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History". Surgeon generals are nominated by the US president and can play key roles in communicating public health information, though their actual power is limited. Previous post holders have promoted health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and raised awareness on issues such as alcohol intake and the mental health impact of social media among young people.
