by Sharon Rondeau
(May 12, 2026) — On Friday, The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Children’s Health Defense (CHD), said President Trump was displeased with FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and had “signed off on a plan to fire” him.
As of this writing, FDA’s website boasts, “We’ve done a lot in the first year—and we’re just getting started.”
The list of accomplishments includes “Closing the ‘generally recognized as safe’ (GRAS) loophole for food ingredients”; “Removing artificial petroleum-based food dyes”; “Writing new dietary guidelines”; and “Creating a uniform definition for ultra-processed foods,” among others.
As he spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon prior to departing the White House for a state visit to China, President Trump confirmed Makary had proffered his resignation.
Makary is a multi-faceted gastrointestinal and pancreatic surgeon with numerous awards and credentials to his credit. He has served in several leadership roles at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, as a Fox News contributor, author and instructor.
On Tuesday afternoon Trump posted a text message from Makary in which Makary stated, “Dr. [sic] President Trump, Please accept my resignation, effective today. During my tenure, I announced 50 major FDA reforms. Joe Biden’s FDA had none. I’m extremely proud that we reduced drug review times from a year to 1-2 months, wrote new guidance to advance psychedelics…,” the latter of which was announced from the Oval Office on Saturday, April 18.
“He’s a wonderful man,” Trump told reporters before making his way to Marine One Tuesday, who would go on to “lead a good life.” “Everyone wants this job,” he claimed.
At 3:27 p.m. EDT, Trump responded to Makary’s resignation with, “So much was accomplished under his leadership…”:
According to CNBC on Tuesday, Makary resigned “following industry and White House backlash.”
The FDA is a subsidiary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) led by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who pledged during the 2024 campaign, along with Trump, to “Make America Healthy Again.”
Also on Friday, Reuters reported:
The White House is considering naming FDA Deputy Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, who heads up the agency’s food group, as acting commissioner of the agency to replace current head Marty Makary, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Potential names being considered to be the actual nominee to run the agency include former FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn and former acting commissioner and assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir, according to one of the sources and two other sources.
Hahn was commissioner from 2019 until the day Trump left office, January 20, 2021, playing a prominent role during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, Hahn became chief medical officer at Flagship Pioneering, founded in 2000, which develops therapeutics and, a decade later, launched Moderna, a manufacturer of a COVID-19 injection.
As assistant DHS secretary, Giroir was also highly visible during the pandemic, often briefing the public on the activities of the Public Health Service overseen by the U.S. Surgeon General. Giroir is now chairman and interim CEO of Onconano Medicine, an organization dedicated to developing cancer treatments.
According to WSJ Health Policy writer Liz Whyte in an interview with PBS on Friday, Trump was unhappy with the pace at which Makary was moving to approve fruit-flavored vapes and other new products as well as to conduct a safety review of mifepristone, a pill which induces an abortion.
Makary ultimately did approve the vapes, CHD reported.
“The White House officials will need to land on an acting official to lead the agency,” Whyte said. “There are a couple names that have already been floated for that. And then they will have to come up with a new nominee at the same time as they are putting forward nominees for CDC and surgeon general.”
On April 30, Trump announced his withdrawal of Dr. Casey Means for surgeon general and his nomination of Dr. Nicole Saphier, a recent Fox News medical contributor. Saphier is currently awaiting a Senate confirmation hearing.