Trump nominates critic of Covid lockdowns Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH

Donald Trump plans to nominate Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford professor known for opposing Covid lockdowns, as the next director of the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya expressed gratitude for the nomination and aims to reform American scientific institutions. Bhattacharya gained attention for co-authoring the "Great Barrington Declaration" in 2020, which criticized lockdowns and advocated for natural immunity. This proposal faced significant backlash from public health experts, who deemed it dangerous and unethical. Trump also intends to nominate Jim O’Neill as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services. O’Neill has criticized the Food and Drug Administration and previously held roles in the Department of Health and Human Services during the Bush administration.