Marty Makary Resigns as FDA Commissioner After Trump Pressures Fruit-Flavored Vape Approval

Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Marty Makary resigned on Tuesday after a 13-month tenure marked by turmoil, with President Donald Trump speaking outside the White House and calling him a "great guy" and a "friend of mine."

Trump said, "Marty's a terrific guy, but he's going to go on and he's going to lead a good life," and later posted a screenshot of Makary submitting his resignation on Truth Social.

ABC News

Trump also said Kyle Diamantas, the deputy commissioner for food, would step into Makary's role on an acting basis, and Politico reported Diamantas would lead the FDA in an acting capacity.

CBS News reported that the move came only after Trump pressured Makary to approve the fruit-flavored vapes, which he had been refusing to do, and a source familiar with the matter told CBS News Makary was leaving over the e-cigarette dispute.

NPR said Makary's resignation ends a 13-month tenure and that it came down to the fruit-flavored vape issue, with a federal health official saying there was pressure on Makary from the White House to authorize the sales of flavored e-cigarettes earlier this month.

CBS News said Makary's departure followed reports of conflict and tension over the FDA's agenda, including a dispute over the e-cigarette issue and internal policy disagreements.

The Wall Street Journal was cited by CBS News as reporting that the move came only after Trump pressured Makary to approve the fruit-flavored vapes, which he had been refusing to do.

Ars Technica

NPR described how Makary angered the Make America Healthy Again movement and upset those who wanted a more traditional approach to regulation, including after the agency approved updated mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and approved a second generic version of mifepristone.

Politico said Makary upset anti-abortion Republicans keen on having the FDA restrict telehealth prescription of the abortion pill mifepristone, was pressured by Trump to authorize flavored vapes after initially raising concern, and was criticized by biopharmaceutical companies that argued the FDA was inconsistent in its review of their medicines.

Time Magazine reported that Makary's departure came after the FDA last week announced its first approval of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes and that he reportedly clashed with Trump and others in the administration over the decision to give that authorization, which he opposed.

Makary's resignation leaves the FDA with an acting head, with Trump posting that Kyle Diamantas would take over temporarily and with Politico reporting Diamantas would lead the FDA in an acting capacity.

“Marty Makary on Tuesday resigned from his role as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, days after news broke on Friday that the White House had signed off on plans to fire him”

Ars Technica

PBS, citing Associated Press, said a permanent replacement for the FDA job will need to be nominated by Trump and confirmed by a majority vote in the Senate, while Diamantas is expected to take over as acting commissioner.

Politico said the decision to move on from Makary was months in the making and that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the call, with the administration official saying, "It was really Secretary Kennedy himself who made this decision."

News Channel 5 Nashville reported that Makary's departure means Trump will need to fill yet another vacancy in the top ranks of the US Health and Human Services Department, which already lacks a permanent leader atop the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a permanent surgeon general.

In the same AP account, PBS said Makary faced pressure from anti-abortion groups and vaping lobbyists, and it described his resignation as stepping down after just over a year leading the powerful regulatory agency amid months of complaints from health industry executives and other allies of President Donald Trump.