President Trump has given his stamp of approval on a plan to fire Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing unnamed sources.
A source close to the White House also told Reuters of being informed that Mr. Makary “is done,” and that Mr. Trump has signed off on firing him.
But the president’s plan is not finalized and is subject to change, The Journal reported.
“President Trump has assembled the most experienced and talented administration in history, an administration that continues to focus on delivering more historic victories for the American people,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told the outlet.
Mr. Makary’s tenure has recently been shaken over his decisions on drug policy and vaping, as well as Republicans’ disapproval of the FDA’s handling of mifepristone, an abortion pill.
Other top administration leaders reportedly view Mr. Makary as struggling to manage his agency, head-butting with health department officials and even the White House. Continuous complaints from some in the pharmaceutical industry have increased officials’ concern that he has to be let go, the unnamed sources said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly considered installing someone else to run the FDA last year while keeping Mr. Makary as a figurehead.
The president reportedly grew frustrated with the commissioner for not approving flavored vapes and other nicotine products fast enough, before moving ahead after increased pressure from Mr. Trump.
Mr. Makary has also faced criticism from biotech companies and the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. The outlet reported that he could have “slow-walked” the approval of a new generic form of the abortion pill mifepristone, but chose not to.
Mr. Makary, a former surgical oncologist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, was tapped by Mr. Trump in 2024 and confirmed as head of the FDA last March.
