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Trump FDA Commissioner Makary Resigns After E-Cigarette Clash; Deputy Kyle Diamantis To Be Acting Chief
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary submitted his resignation on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, and Deputy Commissioner Kyle Diamantis will serve as acting commissioner, officials said.[1]
A White House official said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed for Makary's resignation.[1] Makary's departure came one day before he was scheduled to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.[1] Kyle Diamantis is expected to testify in his place.[2]
On May 6, 2026, the FDA approved some flavored e-cigarettes after reported pressure from President Trump, a dispute sources say helped trigger Makary's exit.[2] Nearly all of FDA's senior career leaders left amid leaks, low morale and complaints from industry executives and anti-abortion activists, creating a perception of dysfunction inside the agency.[3]
Early administration accounts framed the exit as related to "process at the FDA" and said there was "no bad blood" with the president.[1] Later reporting shifted the narrative, explicitly linking Makary's departure to internal tensions over fruit-flavored vape approvals and White House pressure.[2]
Makary was confirmed as FDA commissioner in March 2025 and had been a key ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.[4] His roughly 13-month tenure included high-profile policy moves and reversals that drew criticism from both industry leaders and activists.[5]
Show source details & analysis (6 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary submitted his resignation, according to a White House official and multiple news reports (Marty Makary).
- Kyle Diamantés, the FDA deputy commissioner for Food, is expected to serve as acting commissioner and to testify on Capitol Hill in Makary’s place on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 (Kyle Diamantés).
- Officials and aides cited administration pressure tied to the May 6, 2026 approval of some flavored e‑cigarettes — described by sources as coming down to a 'fruit‑flavored vape' dispute that involved President Trump — as a key factor in Makary’s departure (fruit‑flavored vape issue).
- A White House official told Fox News that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed for Makary’s resignation (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.).
- Makary’s exit came amid months of internal unrest at the FDA — including the resignation, retirement or removal of virtually all senior career leaders, leaks, low morale and repeated criticism from health‑industry executives and anti‑abortion activists over decisions on vaping, vaccines and mifepristone (senior career leaders).
- Critics pointed to regulatory controversies during Makary’s roughly 13‑month tenure — including approving updated mRNA COVID‑19 vaccines, allowing a second generic version of mifepristone while not completing a promised safety review, and high‑profile reversals such as the FDA’s initial refusal and rapid reversal on Moderna’s mRNA flu‑shot application (mifepristone).
- Makary, who was confirmed as FDA commissioner in March 2025 and had been identified as a key ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the 'Make America Healthy Again' agenda, also clashed with other health officials and abortion‑rights advocates during his tenure (Make America Healthy Again).
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
May 12, 2026
7:35 PM
FDA commissioner is set to resign after tumultuous tenure
New information:
- An unnamed federal health official told NPR that Marty Makary is expected to resign as FDA commissioner on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, framing the departure as imminent but not yet formally executed at the time of publication.
- President Trump, speaking at the White House on May 12, 2026 before departing for China, publicly confirmed the leadership change, calling Makary a friend and saying "the assistant, the deputy, is taking over temporarily" without naming the deputy in this report.
- The health official said the decision "came down to the fruit-flavored vape issue," describing White House pressure earlier in May for Makary to authorize sales of flavored e-cigarettes and asserting Makary is "at peace" with leaving.
- NPR adds detail that Makary angered some in the Make America Healthy Again movement by approving updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and a second generic version of mifepristone, and by not completing a promised safety review of mifepristone.
- The article recounts additional examples of regulatory whiplash during Makary's 13‑month tenure, including the FDA's initial refusal and rapid reversal on accepting Moderna's mRNA flu-shot application, and industry concerns about regulatory predictability.
- NPR reports Makary pushed for single pivotal clinical trials to speed approvals yet at times required extra studies, and that under his leadership the FDA removed warnings from certain hormone-replacement therapies without convening an advisory committee, which he criticized as "bureaucratic" and costly.
6:09 PM
Marty Makary resigns as FDA commissioner after internal tensions
New information:
- On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, CBS reports Makary resigned "amid a swirl of reports" that his tenure was ending over internal policy disagreements, with one source explicitly tying his departure to a dispute over flavored e‑cigarette approvals.
- The article says the FDA’s May 6, 2026 approval of some flavored e‑cigarettes from Glas Inc. came only after President Trump pressured Makary to approve the fruit-flavored vapes, which Makary had previously refused to do, according to prior Wall Street Journal reporting cited by CBS.
- A source quoted by CBS says Makary "didn't want to approve the flavored varieties but had been forced to by other members of the administration," identifying that conflict as the reason he is leaving.
- CBS newly reports that Kyle Diamantés is expected to assume the role of acting commissioner and to testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Makary's place.
- The piece adds that vaccines chief Vinay Prasad, described as an ally of Makary, recently departed HHS "for a second time," contributing to broader upheaval within the department.
- CBS notes that Makary did not appear at a White House maternal health event in the Oval Office on Monday, May 11, 2026, alongside the president and top public health officials, a visible sign his ouster was imminent.
5:53 PM
AP report: Marty Makary resigning as Trump's FDA chief
New information:
- On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, an unnamed White House official confirmed to the Associated Press that FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is resigning after just over a year in the job.
- The AP report emphasizes that Makary's tenure was marked by months of complaints from health industry executives, anti-abortion activists and other Trump allies, who criticized his management of FDA and decisions on issues including mifepristone and vaping.
- AP details that virtually all of FDA's senior career leadership resigned, retired or were forced out during the first year of Trump's second term, contributing to leaks, low morale and perceptions of dysfunction inside the agency.
- The article reports that Makary struggled to manage the FDA bureaucracy and "failed to win the confidence" of staff after mass layoffs, leadership changes and controversies over perceived political overrides of scientific principles, including those tied to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- AP notes Makary's challenge in balancing Trump's push to cut FDA 'red tape' with Kennedy's focus on heightened scrutiny of vaccine, drug and food-additive safety, and cites multiple new drug-review initiatives he launched to speed approvals.
5:46 PM
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to resign, report says
New information:
- On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, the Washington Post reported, citing two unnamed sources, that FDA Commissioner Marty Makary planned to resign later that day.
- The same Washington Post report said Kyle Diamantas, who leads the FDA’s food program, was being considered as acting FDA chief.
- The article recaps that Makary was confirmed as FDA commissioner in March 2025 and had been a key ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, while also clashing with other health officials and abortion-rights advocates.
- It details Makary’s tenure, including stricter vaccine approval guidelines, changes to advisory committee membership, installation of vaccine skeptics in FDA centers, and alleged blocking of publication of studies that found Covid-19 and shingles vaccines to be safe.
- The article reports prior Wall Street Journal coverage that President Trump was frustrated Makary had not moved quickly enough to approve flavored vapes and nicotine products, while a White House spokesperson told the Journal Trump was "thrilled" with Makary’s accomplishments.
- It notes criticism from anti-abortion groups, including a renewed call in early May 2026 from SBA Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser for Makary to be fired over perceived slow-walking of a mifepristone "safety review."
5:23 PM
Trump's FDA boss resigning as admin taps next acting leader
New information:
- On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary submitted his resignation, according to a White House official.
- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed for Makary’s resignation, the White House official said.
- Kyle Diamantis, the FDA deputy commissioner for Food, will serve as acting commissioner following Makary’s departure.
- The White House official said Makary’s resignation relates to "process at the FDA" and not a specific issue, and described "no bad blood" between Makary and President Trump.
- Makary’s resignation comes one day before he was scheduled to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
- The article ties Makary’s exit to escalating pressure and criticism from pro-life groups and MAHA-aligned critics over his handling of abortion drug mifepristone and other FDA decisions.
May 11, 2026