‘I Don’t Want to Say’: Trump Dodges on Whether or Not He Fired Head of FDA

President Donald Trump declined to answer whether or not he fired Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary on Tuesday afternoon while speaking to reporters before his trip to China.

The president was asked by one reporter whether Makary quit or the president fired him.

“I don’t want to say,” Trump answered. “But Marty’s a great guy.”

Trump was asked the question shortly after The Washington Post reported Makary was resigning on Tuesday; that followed a report last week he was on “thin ice” with Trump.

The president continued celebrating Makary to reporters for a moment, saying he was a “great guy,” a “wonderful man,” and a friend. Trump then said Makary was “having some difficulty,” without going into detail about what he meant.

“You know, he’s a great doctor and he was having some difficulty,” Trump reiterated.

He may have been referring to the clash the two had over flavored vapes, which is what reportedly led to Trump preparing to fire Makary. Trump reportedly “upbraided” Makary during a meeting earlier this month for not moving fast enough in his view to approve flavored vapes and nicotine products.

“Advisers told the president that Makary has blocked Trump’s vaping agenda and described the commissioner as a problem for the administration,” The Wall Street Journal reported last week. “Makary earlier bucked White House preferences by refusing to OK menthol, mango and blueberry vape flavors from Los Angeles manufacturer Glas.”

The president vowed to “save” vaping during his 2024 campaign. Flavored cartridge-based vapes have been banned by the FDA since 2020. States like New York and California have also banned most flavored vape and tobacco products.

Makary had talked to Trump about pivoting away from his anti-flavored vape stance, according to the Journal report, but it “wasn’t clear” whether Makary had changed his mind.

Instead, it appears he opted to quit before he joined ex-Attorney General Pam Bondi and former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on a growing list of officials that Trump has canned this year.

Politico reported on Tuesday that “Kyle Diamantas, who previously worked as the top food official at the agency, will lead the FDA in an acting capacity” following Makary’s exit.

Trump said Diamantas was going to “temporarily” lead the FDA, and that he wasn’t too worried about finding a long term replacement.

“Everybody wants the job,” Trump said.

Watch above via CNN.

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