Donald Trump is trying to distance himself from his controversial choice to be the next US Surgeon General.
Trump announced on Wednesday that he is nominating Dr. Casey Means for the role after withdrawing his initial choice, Fox News medical contributor Dr Janette Nesheiwat, days before her confirmation hearing.
Means is conspiracy theorist and Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) “wellness influencer” who is not currently licensed to practice medicine.
On Thursday, Trump was asked why he nominated someone so unqualified for this role and his response was to blame Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, declaring “I don’t know her.”
“Because Bobby thought she was fantastic,” Trump said. “She’s highly — she’s a brilliant woman who went through Stanford, and as I understand it, she basically wanted to do, she wanted to be an academic as opposed to a surgeon.”
“I think she graduated first in her class at Stanford, and Bobby really thought she was great,” he continued. “I don’t know her. I listened to the recommendation of Bobby. I met her yesterday and once before. She’s a very outstanding person — a great academic, actually — so I think she’ll be great.”
