Marty Makary resigned from his post as FDA commissioner on May 12, 2026, ending a brief 13-month tenure marked by high-stakes friction with the White House.
Reporting for The Journal, Alex Ossola noted that the departure follows a period where the commissioner "had fought with officials in the health department and the White House on many policy issues." According to Ossola, the exit was not entirely voluntary, as Donald Trump had already "signed off on a plan to fire Makary."
While the administration moves quickly to install Kyle Diamantas as the acting commissioner, the policy fallout remains significant. The tension points—specifically the regulation of mifepristone and the approval of fruit-flavored vapes—suggest a broader shift in how the Trump administration intends to manage public health agencies moving forward.
