Latest news with #Nesheiwat
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
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.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump claims 'I don't know her' and 'listened to' RFK Jr about surgeon general pick getting MAGA pushback
President Donald Trump said he does not know his new nominee for U.S. surgeon general, telling reporters Thursday that he relied upon the recommendation of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump withdrew the nomination of his first pick for surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, this week and instead nominated Dr. Casey Means. The president, upon announcing her nomination, said she has "impeccable 'MAHA' credentials." Trump Announces Maha Advocate Casey Means Will Be New Surgeon General Nominee When asked Thursday about Means and why he tapped her for the role, the president said Kennedy recommended her. "Because Bobby thought she was fantastic, brilliant woman who went through Stanford — wanted to be academic instead of physician," the president said. "I don't know her, I listened to Bobby," Trump added. "I think she'll be great." Read On The Fox News App Flashback: Trump's Surgeon General Pick Touted As 'Fierce' Maha Advocate Before Confirmation Hearing Means, a vocal "Make America Healthy Again" proponent, played a significant role in helping shape the administration's agenda surrounding health alongside her brother, Calley Means. She has made a name for herself as a wellness influencer alongside her brother. In 2024, both Casey and Calley co-wrote a book about the chronic disease epidemic titled "Good Energy," and Casey is also the co-founder of a health-tech company called Levels. Calley Means was previously tapped by the administration to serve as a top special advisor to Kennedy. It is unclear why Nesheiwat's nomination was pulled. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for more information and did not immediately receive a response. Meanwhile, in a follow-up post on X, Nesheiwat also said she was "looking forward" to continuing to support Trump while working closely with Kennedy "in a senior policy role." "My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn't changed," Nesheiwat concluded in her public social media remarks. Nesheiwat is the sister-in-law of recently fired National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, whom the president indicated he will now be nominating to be the next ambassador to the United Nations after dropping his initial nominee, New York GOP Congresswoman Elise article source: Trump claims 'I don't know her' and 'listened to' RFK Jr about surgeon general pick getting MAGA pushback
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
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 used her proximity to Trump to 'vet' administration staff, 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.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Laura Loomer Sets to Work on New MAGA Civil War Over Trump Pick
President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. surgeon general is taking fire from all sides. Days after it was revealed that Janette Nesheiwat earned her M.D. from the American University of the Caribbean—and not the University of Arkansas, as she had long claimed—MAGA conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer has called for Trump to pick a new, anti-vaxxer nominee. Nesheiwat, who served as the medical director of a for-profit chain of urgent-care centers in New York, joined Fox News as a medical contributor during the COVID-19 pandemic and has given on-air interviews for other networks. Her Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday. 'I know @realDonald Trump likes people who go on TV for some weird reason I will never understand (I still love him), but 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.' Loomer wrote in a post on X. 'She is now being accused of lying about her credentials.' The post came just days after the 31-year-old 9/11 truther celebrated the ouster of Nesheiwat's brother-in-law, Trump's former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and took credit for the firing. The president has also fired Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh, who was head of U.S. Cyber Command, after Loomer launched a loyalty purge last month. Later Monday morning, Loomer noted in a follow-up post that Nesheiwat's social media bio on the site X no longer said 'nominee for US surgeon general.' 'Interesting,' Loomer wrote. 'Perhaps she is out!' The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. During her TV interviews, Nesheiwat was often introduced as a double board-certified physician in family and emergency medicine. She has often said her father's tragic death from a freak shooting accident when she was 13 inspired her to go into medicine. But according to Anthony Clark, the independent journalist who broke the story about her medical degree and credentials, she was only board certified in family medicine, not emergency medicine. Nesheiwat herself has described urgent care as different from emergency medicine in that urgent-care doctors only treat non-life-threatening medical problems. After her nomination for surgeon general, she quietly removed her specialization in 'ER medicine' from her website, Clark reported, and sometime after CBS reported on her medical degree on April 29, she changed her LinkedIn profile to reflect her real alma mater. But it's the part of her biography that's true—the fact that she worked on the front lines treating thousands of patients in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic—that Loomer really takes issue with. During the pandemic, Nesheiwat described vaccine hesitancy as a 'global health threat' and encouraged viewers to get vaccinated. 'She used her access to Fox News to promote the dangerous Covid vaccine, which is now killing millions of people,' Loomer wrote. A 2022 study of the side effects of the 8 billion COVID-19 jabs administered worldwide found that just 55 people had died after being vaccinated. Of those deaths, 38 were found to have possibly been related to vaccine side effects, and even then, more research was needed to determine whether there was a causal relationship, according to the National Library of Medicine. Loomer then repeated the conspiracy theory that vaccines cause autism and accused Nesheiwat of 'not being ideologically aligned with Donald Trump or his admin's health initiatives.' She wrote: 'By her own logic, President Donald Trump and [Health and Human Services Secretary] Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are GLOBAL HEALTH THREATS because they are challenging the safety of childhood vaccines,' which yes, fair point. Since taking the helm at HHS, Kennedy—a longtime crusader against vaccines—has appointed a vaccine skeptic to investigate the debunked link between vaccination and autism, forced out the nation's top vaccine regulator, and promoted unhinged conspiracy theories about the MMR vaccine containing 'fetus debris.' 'I genuinely wish we had a different nominee that was more aligned with personal liberties,' Loomer wrote.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump's first pick for surgeon general to still work for HHS
President Trump recently switched his nomination for Surgeon General but his first pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, will continue to work at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said during a Thursday interview with Fox News' Bret Baier that the administration will put Nesheiwat in 'a very good place,' in the agency. The White House pulled Nesheiwat's nomination after her credentials were scrutinized last month. CBS News reported that the physician and former Fox News contributor graduated from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, not the University of Arkansas School of Medicine, as she said after her nomination was announced. Earlier this week, the Trump administration replaced Nesheiwat with wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means. Means has been a major influence in Kennedy's Make American Health Again movement since last year, along with her brother Calley Means, who serves as a White House senior adviser focusing on food and MAHA health issues. Means is a graduate of Stanford Medical School and began a residency program at the Oregon Health and Science University before eventually dropping out. 'Casey Means, we felt, was the best person to bring the vision of MAHA to the American public,' Kennedy said. Kennedy pointed to Means' academic record, noting that she graduated top of her medical school class, and her willingness to consider new approaches to medicine as reasons she is qualified to be Surgeon General. 'She walked away from traditional medicine because she was not curing patients. She couldn't get anybody within her profession to look at the nutrition contributions to illness,' Kennedy added. An HHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions from The Hill about what position Nesheiwat will hold. Dr. Nesheiwat could not be reached for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
