The White House has withdrawn President Donald Trump’s nomination of Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for United States Surgeon General. The president has already revealed a replacement nominee.
Nesheiwat’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee was set on Thursday. The office of Sen. Bernie Sanders, the committee’s leading Democrat, announced early Wednesday that her candidacy was withdrawn.
Trump stated that he intends to propose Dr. Casey Means for surgeon general, citing her “MAHA,” or Make America Healthy Again, qualifications. Means, an entrepreneur and health advocate, is connected to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and was preferred by Kennedy’s friends over Neshiewat.
Neshiewat’s withdrawal stems from concerns about how she has represented her degree and qualifications on social media and in previous media appearances.
Nesheiwat’s public page on Linkedin, for example, stated an M.D. degree from the University of Arkansas, despite the fact that she graduated from the American University of the Caribbean in St. Maarten.
The University of Arkansas confirmed that Nesheiwat finished her residency there, but she was not awarded a degree.
Anthony Clark, an independent journalist, initially raised concerns about her CV on Substack.
On Sunday, conservative activist Laura Loomer wrote on X that she opposed Neshewiat’s confirmation because she supported COVID-19 vaccinations during the epidemic. Bloomberg News was the first to disclose her departure.
“I am looking forward to continuing to support President Trump and working closely with Secretary Kennedy in a senior policy role to Make America Healthy Again!” Nesheiwat posted on X. “My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn’t changed.”
Nesheiwat has previously worked as a medical contributor for Fox News. Her brother-in-law is Mike Waltz, who was recently ousted as Trump’s national security advisor and has been nominated for ambassador to the United Nations.
This comes as Trump’s approval rating has risen to near-record levels, despite several days of outrage from Democrats, establishment Republicans, and mainstream media outlets over the president’s ambitious goals.
According to a new poll conducted by J.L. Partners in collaboration with the Daily Mail, Trump’s approval rating increased to 53 percent, a four-point improvement from last week’s poll, when it was 49 percent.
Breaking down the numbers further, Trump’s favorability rating among voters aged 18 to 29 has improved by an amazing 13 points.
The study implies Trump is building on the tremendous support he earned from the group in the November presidential election, when voters aged 18 to 29 switched 10 points in Trump’s favor after heavily supporting Joe Biden in 2020.
The president’s support rating increased by six percentage points among registered Democrats and independents, according to the study. The president’s favorability among black voters has increased by 17 points since last week’s survey.
Nearly 100 days into his presidency, American employers and job board leaders have given Trump a very favorable report card, saying they believe the economy “can win now,” even though, as they note, it hasn’t “started to win yet.”
“I would give President Trump, right now, a pretty solid B+,” FIG Strategy & Consulting founder, author and Freedom Economy Index (FEI) respondent TaChelle Lawson told Fox News Digital.
“He came in with a very clear plan, and that was focusing on economics. He’s definitely putting business first, trimming the fat. That’s something that small business owners, business operators understand and respect. I think that it’s clear that his focus is on American business,” she added. “I do, however, think that the messaging could use a little bit of work.”
Lawson is one of over 50,000 small business owners who took part in the latest quarterly survey by RedBalloon and PublicSquare. The survey revealed that more than two-thirds of respondents now expect the economy to experience either “slow” or “robust” growth throughout the year—a complete turnaround from the previously negative outlook, Fox Business reported.