US President Donald Trump has again turned the spotlight on pharmaceutical companies and federal health agencies, demanding proof of whether COVID drugs truly worked.
“With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public.”
The remarks come at a time of upheaval in the US public health system. The White House confirmed on Wednesday that CDC Director Susan Monarez has been fired, less than a month after she took charge.
Four senior officials have resigned in recent days, citing differences over vaccine recommendations.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has moved swiftly to reshape policy. In May, federal recommendations for COVID shots for pregnant women and healthy children were withdrawn.
In June, Kennedy fired all members of the CDC’s expert vaccine advisory panel, replacing them with his own selections, including figures known for their opposition to vaccines.
One of the officials who quit said the CDC’s vaccination guidance “was putting young Americans and pregnant women at risk.”
The White House framed the removal of Monarez as part of Trump’s broader public health push. “Monarez was not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” spokesman Kush Desai said late on Wednesday.
