Trump Insists, I Know Nothing About' Report Saying He's Going To Fire FDA Chief

"Trump insisted, I know nothing about The Wall Street Journals report that he'd signed off on a plan to fire FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. The WSJ's piece, published on Friday, has since been corroborated by plenty of other outlets and their respective sources The Washington Post, Politico, NBC News, CNN, The New York Times, and more. Yet while answering an unnamed reporter who asked what's going on with Marty Makary, Trump said, Nothing much. He's doing fine. Are you going to fire him? the reporter followed up. Uh, I've been reading about it, but I know nothing about it, the president said."

"According to the Journal's Friday exclusive, people familiar with the matter said, Top administration officials have become increasingly convinced Makary has to go because, in addition to months of turmoil, complaints from some in the pharmaceutical industry have continued to mount. These sources added, Makary has battled with others in the health department on a range of policy issues, and has increasingly relied on a small inner circle of advisers as he searched for wins' he could tout to the White House and the press."

"The reported decision comes just days after the Journal revealed on Tuesday that Makary was already on thin ice inside the administration following a clash with Trump over flavored vaping products. According to reporters Liz Essley Whyte and Natalie Andrews, the president upbraided Makary last weekend for not moving quickly enough to approve flavored vapes and nicotine products."

Trump told reporters at the White House that he knew nothing about a reported plan to fire FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. When asked whether Makary would be fired, Trump said he was doing fine and claimed he had been reading about it but knew nothing. He also denied bringing in a new FDA commissioner. Multiple outlets corroborated a report that top administration officials increasingly believed Makary had to go due to months of turmoil and continued complaints from parts of the pharmaceutical industry. The report said Makary had conflicts within the health department and relied on a small inner circle for policy wins. The reported decision followed a prior clash with Trump over flavored vaping products.

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