President Donald Trump has named Susan Monarez as his nominee for the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calling the candidate “a dedicated public servant.”
Monarez, who is currently acting director of the CDC, replaces Trump’s original nominee for the role, Dr. David Weldon. The Trump administration never gave an official reason why Weldon’s nomination was withdrawn earlier this month, but a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that it would have been a “futile effort.”
“It became clear that the votes weren’t there in the Senate for him to get confirmed,” the source explained. “This would have been a futile effort.”
In a Truth Social post published on Monday, Trump wrote that Monarez “brings decades of experience championing Innovation, Transparency, and strong Public Health Systems.”
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“She has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, and PostDoctoral training in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine,” the president wrote. “Dr. Monarez understands the importance of protecting our children, our communities, and our future.”
Trump also claimed that Americans have “lost confidence” in the CDC, citing “political bias and disastrous mismanagement,” as reasons why.
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“Dr. Monarez will work closely with our GREAT Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr,” the president continued. “Together, they will prioritize Accountability, High Standards, and Disease Prevention to finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic and, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!”
According to Monarez’s CDC biography, she previously worked at the White House in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and on the National Security Council.
“[She led] efforts to enhance the nation’s biomedical innovation capabilities, including combating antimicrobial resistance, expanding the use of wearables to promote patient health, ensuring personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness,” the biography states. “She has also held leadership positions at the Department of Homeland Security and has led numerous international cooperative initiatives to promote bilateral and multilateral health innovation research and development.”
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
