Trump Appoints Don Jr. Pal as Acting FDA Head

Kyle Diamantas – Trump’s acting FDA commissioner appointment follows Dr. Marty Makary’s resignation, highlighting shakeups tied to approval battles and agency turmoil.

A key thread of influence and loyalty has resurfaced in the Trump administration’s approach to oversight at the Food and Drug Administration, after President Donald Trump named Kyle Diamantas, a longtime associate of Don Jr., as acting FDA commissioner.

The FDA’s role in everyday life—from regulating food and medications to overseeing products that underpin a large share of the U.S.. economy—makes the commissioner’s job unusually consequential.. The Senate-confirmed leader is expected to navigate rapid. high-stakes decisions and constant pressure from regulated industries. even as the agency faces internal instability and external political expectations.

That uncertainty intensified after days of public and political tension over the direction of the FDA and its leadership.. On Tuesday, news broke that Dr.. Marty Makary, the FDA commissioner, was resigning.. His departure immediately shifted attention to who would step in and how quickly the administration might move to stabilize the agency.

Soon after Trump posted Makary’s resignation message on Truth Social, Diamantas was named acting FDA commissioner. The 38-year-old Florida lawyer previously joined the FDA in 2025 as director of the human foods program, following an earlier professional connection to Don Jr.’s social circle.

The personal link between Diamantas and Don Jr.. is not new.. In March 2021, Don Jr.. and Diamantas were pictured holding dead Osceola wild turkeys, alongside a hunting outfitter’s founder.. That photograph. including an image featured on the Osceola Outdoors website. later became part of a broader narrative about how relationships inside the political orbit can shape professional advancement in this administration.

The transition from hunting trips to an agency that supervises large segments of the consumer marketplace reflects a familiar pattern in the Trump second term: proximity to influential figures can be treated as a meaningful credential. even for posts that are traditionally associated with specialized regulatory expertise.

Still. some former FDA leadership figures have suggested that the immediate logistics of agency staffing may explain why Diamantas was the only realistic option available at the deputy level.. Susan Mayne. who served as the FDA’s director of food safety and applied nutrition from 2015 to 2023. said Diamantas is not a medical doctor and that his selection is unusual.. But she also argued that, given the surrounding circumstances, it is a logical choice.

Those circumstances are described as having been worsened by personnel and organizational disruption.. After DOGE-related staff cuts and ongoing turmoil. the FDA’s leadership bench has been weakened. leaving key posts harder to fill and prompting departures among staff.. Within that context. Mayne said Diamantas’ leadership approach had been “more balanced” than others. an assessment offered against a backdrop of repeated leadership clashes inside the agency.

In recent years under Makary, the FDA’s internal turmoil and high-profile controversies repeatedly drew attention.. One case involved the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. George Tidmarsh. who was forced to resign after allegedly using his position to pursue a vendetta against a former business partner.

Another controversy centered on Vinay Prasad, who served as director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.. Prasad drew scrutiny from both the pharmaceutical industry and his own staff. with criticisms tied to an abrasive leadership style and to peremptory rejections of certain drug applications.

Even as these disputes unfolded. a separate. heavily scrutinized fight over fruit-flavored vapes is described as having ultimately ended Makary’s tenure.. The account traces the pressure back to a meeting Trump had—described as a “fateful lunch”—with tobacco industry executives seeking approval for their products.. An FDA official said the White House was pushing for approval. while Makary resisted. particularly because the flavors were viewed as likely appealing to children.

Within the internal dynamics. at least one associate of Makary characterized the resistance as culminating in his departure: Makary did not want to approve candy-like flavors.. Yet. the story also notes that he eventually signed off on the approvals. though it came too late to prevent the loss of his role.

Trump thanked Makary on Tuesday through a social media post. describing him as a hard worker respected by all and saying he will go on to have an outstanding career in medicine.. The resignation means the FDA now faces a leadership transition at a moment when the agency is already struggling to maintain stability.

For now, Diamantas will lead the FDA on a temporary basis. A permanent replacement would require Senate confirmation hearings, raising the possibility that the acting period could stretch if the White House does not move quickly.

One name that has been floated as a potential nominee is Admiral Brett Giroir. a pediatrician who served as assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services during the first Trump administration and oversaw diagnostic testing during the Covid pandemic.. Giroir was reached by phone on Tuesday and declined to comment.

As for whether Trump will nominate someone permanently—and when—the timeline remains unclear.. The next steps will likely shape how quickly the agency can regain internal cohesion and regulatory predictability. especially given the heightened political pressure that has already defined the past stretch of FDA decision-making.

FDA commissioner resignation Kyle Diamantas Marty Makary Trump administration Senate confirmation vaping approvals U.S. health policy