Trump responds to reports FDA chief Mark Makary could be fired: 'Know nothing about it'
President Donald Trump downplayed reports that he was getting ready to fire Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary while speaking to reporters Friday."I've been reading about it, but...
By Fox News · Fox News
President Donald Trump downplayed reports that he was getting ready to fire Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary while speaking to reporters Friday. "I've been reading about it, but I know nothing about it," Trump said in response to a question about Makary's potential firing. When asked what's going on with Makary, Trump responded "nothing much." Initial buzz about a possible Makary ouster started circulating when The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump had pressured Makary to fast track approval for flavored nicotine vapes . Makary, according to WSJ, pushed back on the request, drawing Trump's ire. The friction pushed Trump to sign off on a plan to fire Makary, WSJ reported Friday . TRUMP FDA NOMINEE TURNS VACCINE QUESTION ON DEM, RECALLING CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN DECISION Trump did not confirm the WSJ reporting, instead telling reporters "no, no" when asked if he was bringing in a new FDA head. Makary has been embroiled in a number of controversies since being confirmed as the FDA head in March 2025. Pro-life activists have accused the former oncology surgeon of slow-walking a safety review for abortion pill mifepristone . PRO-LIFE GROUP FINDS BIDEN-ERA FDA POLICY IS DRIVING 500 ABORTIONS PER DAY, SAYS TRUMP HAS POWER TO END IT "This is a five-alarm crisis for the pro-life movement and for the GOP," SBA Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement calling for Makary's firing. "The GOP cannot win without its base and simply will not get the enthusiasm that drives turnout without leadership from the top," she wrote. Pharmaceutical and biotech firms have also opposed Makary. John Crowley, the head of the biotech trade group, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), condemned some of Makary's personnel cuts in a recent op-ed . "Some of the administration’s recent efforts to reform the federal government through aggressive and often indiscriminate personnel cuts have lacked the strategic insights necessary t…