'She’s really wicked smart': Trump thumbs nose at RFK Jr. with CDC nomination

President Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, a vaccine supporter and former deputy surgeon general, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which The New York Times noted represented a clear signal the White House is distancing itself from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccine agenda ahead of the midterms.

Trump announced the pick on Thursday on social media. If confirmed by the Senate, Schwartz would become the agency's fourth director in just over a year.

Schwartz is a Navy officer, retired rear admiral, and holds degrees in biomedical engineering, medicine, public health and law, The Times reported. She ran the federal government's COVID-19 testing program during the pandemic and is one of the few Black women in a senior leadership role in the second Trump administration.

"She’s really wicked smart, and is not subject to rumor and conspiracy theories," said Dr. Brett Giroir, her former boss during the pandemic. “I’m very pleased that a person with her experience, credentials and dedication to public health and prevention is a candidate for this position."

The nomination marks a sharp departure from the ideological direction Kennedy has pushed at the Health Department, the Times noted. Kennedy and his allies have moved to reshape the childhood vaccine schedule and question the safety of standard immunization practices. Last month, a federal judge ruled those changes were "arbitrary and capricious" and not backed by scientific evidence.

The CDC has been without permanent leadership for nearly all of Trump's second term. The White House pulled its first nominee over anti-vaccine views, and Kennedy later fired the confirmed director, Susan Monarez, amid a dispute over vaccine policy.