Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general during the first Trump administration, is openly calling for President Donald Trump to fire Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “for the sake of the nation.”
In an interview with CNN’s Victor Blackwell on Saturday, Adams was asked directly if Trump should fire Kennedy. His answer was clear. “I absolutely believe that he should, for the sake of the nation and the sake of his legacy.” Adams added, “I’m deeply concerned about the health and safety of our nation under RFK’s current leadership. I absolutely believe he is uniquely damaging the credibility of federal agencies like the CDC (National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration) and he’s putting us at risk.”
Adams argued that while Trump has stood out on issues like the economy, tariffs, and foreign policy, his reliance on Kennedy when it comes to public health is a dangerous misstep. “President Trump is clearly the leader on foreign policy, clearly the leader on the economy and tariffs, but when it comes to health, he’s doing whatever RFK says, and it blows me away whenever I think about all that we accomplished with Operation Warp Speed,” Adams said.
He went on to explain his fear that Trump may not fully see how much damage Kennedy could be doing not only to the country but also to Trump’s own political record. “I still am hopeful that President Trump will begin to see the danger that is presented not just to America but to his own legacy by continuing to have RFK in this position, making these horrific decisions,” Adams told Blackwell.
Adams was surgeon general from 2017 to 2021 and was one of the central figures during the early COVID-19 response. His comments now highlight just how much Kennedy’s leadership style and views are clashing with the direction Trump once set, especially with vaccine development. Kennedy has long been known for his skepticism toward vaccines, a stance that puts him at odds with much of the medical community and even Trump himself.
Trump, who launched Operation Warp Speed to accelerate the creation of COVID vaccines, recently reminded reporters that vaccines remain an important achievement of his administration. “You have some vaccines that are very amazing… I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated. It’s a very tough position,” Trump said on Friday.
The pressure on Kennedy has been building for weeks. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, director Susan Monarez, who was appointed by Trump, was dismissed after only a few weeks on the job. Her departure was followed by resignations from several senior officials who left in protest. These shakeups intensified criticism of Kennedy’s leadership.
The calls for his removal became even louder as Kennedy appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. Every Democrat on the panel demanded his resignation, underscoring how bipartisan frustration with his leadership is gaining traction.
Adams’s comments mark one of the strongest rebukes yet from a former top Trump health official, and they reflect a growing divide inside the Republican Party about Kennedy’s role. Whether Trump responds to the pressure remains to be seen, but the calls are unlikely to fade as long as Kennedy stays in his position.