Trump Taps Covid Lockdown Critic to Lead National Institutes of Health
(Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
President-elect Donald Trump tapped Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a vocal critic of COVID-19 lockdowns and co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, as the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The move signals a sharp departure from traditional public health approaches, aligning with Trump’s broader reshaping of federal health leadership.
Bhattacharya, a Stanford-trained physician and economist, rose to prominence in 2020 as a leading voice against widespread pandemic lockdown measures.
“We will reform American scientific institutions so that they are worthy of trust again and will deploy the fruits of excellent science to make America healthy again!” Bhattacharya posted on X following the announcement.
The Great Barrington Declaration, co-authored by Bhattacharya in October 2020, called for focused protection of vulnerable groups instead of broad lockdowns. The declaration was criticized by former NIH director Francis Collins, who dismissed the authors as “fringe experts” and deemed their recommendations “dangerous.”
Bhattacharya, however, has remained a staunch critic of the public health establishment, particularly its handling of the pandemic under Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Trump’s selection of Bhattacharya is part of a broader overhaul of health leadership as he finalizes his cabinet ahead of his January 20 inauguration. Earlier this month, Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Trump’s unconventional approach to health policy is further reflected in his nomination of TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid and former Fox News contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general.
