U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary resigned from his position on Tuesday, amid reports that President Donald Trump was considering firing him.
Makary’s resignation comes after NBC News reported on Friday that “a source familiar with the matter” shared that Trump was considering firing Makary.
The report came as Makary had received criticism as he “had yet to release a promised safety review of the abortion pill mifepristone, something he told Republican senators he would pursue during his confirmation process last year,” the outlet reported.
Makary was also described as having “struggled to manage the FDA’s bureaucracy and failed to win the confidence of its staff after mass layoffs,” the Associated Press reported:
A surgeon and health research, Makary came to prominence among Republicans as an outspoken critic of COVID-19 health measures during the pandemic, when he frequently appeared on Fox New Channel. But he struggled to manage the FDA’s bureaucracy and failed to win the confidence of its staff after mass layoffs, leadership upheavals and a series of controversies in which the agency’s scientific principles appeared to be overridden by political interests, including those of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
While taking questions from reporters on Tuesday before departing for China, Trump was asked if he had fired Makary or if he had asked him, “to resign.” Trump responded that he did not “want to say,” and described Makary as a “friend” of his and “a wonderful man.”
“Did you ask Marty Makary to resign, sir, or did you fire your FDA commissioner?” a reporter asked.
“I don’t want to say, but Marty’s a great guy,” Trump said. “He’s a friend of mine, he’s a wonderful man, and he’s going to be off, and the assistant, the deputy is taking over temporarily. Everybody wants that job.”
“It’s a very important job,” Trump continued. “Marty’s a terrific guy, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to lead a good life.”
Trump continued to share that Makary “was having some difficulty,” adding that Makary was “a great doctor.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump thanked Makary “for having done a great job” in his role. Trump also noted that “so much was accomplished under his leadership.”
“I want to thank Dr. Marty Makary for having done a great job at the FDA,” Trump said. “So much was accomplished under his leadership. He was a hard worker, who was respected by all, and will go on to have an outstanding career in Medicine. Kyle Diamantas, a very talented person, will be put in the Acting position.”
In another post on Truth Social, Trump shared a text message from Makary, in which he asked Trump to “accept” his resignation. Makary highlighted how he had “announced 50 major FDA reforms.”
“During my tenure, I announced 50 major FDA reforms,” Makary highlighted in his message. “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, introduced a new ‘plausible mechanism’ pathway for rare disease drugs, and changed estrogen labels to tell women the truth about menopausal hormone replacement.”
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised Makary for having “challenged the status quo.”
“Marty, you took on entrenched interests, challenged the status quo, and never lost sight of the American people we serve,” Kennedy wrote in a post on X. “You pushed forward critical reforms and helped advance our mission to Make America Healthy Again. I’m grateful for your courage and your friendship.”
Kennedy continued to thank Kyle Diamantas “for stepping in as Acting Commissioner.”
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