Trump picks Indian American COVID lockdown critic as next NIH director

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian American Stanford University professor and vocal critic of COVID-19 lockdowns, as the next director of the National Institutes of Health.

Driving the news: Trump believes Bhattacharya and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic he has chosen to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), would work to restore the nation to health. “Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America’s biggest Health challenges, including our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease,” Trump said on Tuesday. “Together, they will work hard to Make America Healthy Again!” Both appointments, along with Jim O’Neill as HHS deputy secretary, are subject to Senate confirmation. If confirmed, Bhattacharya would lead the NIH’s $47.7 billion budget and oversee 27 institutes and centers. Responding in an X post, Bhattacharya said he is “honored and humbled” by Trump’s appointment. “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,” he noted.
About Bhattacharya: Bhattacharya, a physician and economist, gained prominence in 2020 as a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which opposed COVID-19 lockdowns and advocated for achieving herd immunity through natural infection among low-risk groups while protecting the vulnerable. However, many public health experts, including former NIH director Dr. Francis Collins, dismissed the declaration as “dangerous” and “fringe.” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also deemed the approach “unethical,” adding that herd immunity has never been used as a response to an outbreak. Meanwhile, Bhattacharya’s criticism of NIH leadership during the pandemic and his call for reforms have drawn support from figures like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan. With his nomination, the future of NIH policies and public health strategies may pivot sharply, reflecting Trump’s broader vision for health care reform.

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