President Donald Trump may be preparing for yet another high-profile shakeup inside his administration — and this time, the target could be Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Trump recently blasted Makary behind closed doors for allegedly dragging his feet on approving flavored vape and nicotine products, an issue the president reportedly sees as politically important with younger MAGA voters.
Sources told the Journal that Makary is now on “thin ice” after Trump “upbraided” him during conversations last weekend.
The confrontation reportedly came after Trump fielded multiple calls from advisers who argued Makary was standing in the way of the president’s vaping agenda. During the 2024 campaign, Trump vowed to “save” vaping and positioned himself as an ally to vape users frustrated with federal restrictions.
“Advisers told the president that Makary has blocked Trump’s vaping agenda and described the commissioner as a problem for the administration,” reporters Liz Essley Whyte and Natalie Andrews wrote. “Makary earlier bucked White House preferences by refusing to OK menthol, mango and blueberry vape flavors from Los Angeles manufacturer Glas.”
The report added that Makary attempted to reassure Trump that he was reconsidering his hardline stance against flavored vape products, though it remains unclear whether the FDA chief ultimately changed course.
“Some of the people said Makary was weighing becoming more open to vape flavor approvals,” the report noted. “Makary earlier wanted to avoid approving fruit flavors or others potentially appealing to children because he was worried about the public health risks.”
Makary, a physician and former Johns Hopkins professor, was nominated by Trump to lead the FDA after the president’s 2024 election victory and was confirmed by the Senate in March 2025.
But if Trump decides to push Makary out, he would become the latest casualty in a growing string of administration shakeups that have rocked Washington in recent weeks.
Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was forced out after months of reported tensions inside the administration, while Attorney General Pam Bondi was recently fired amid frustration from Trump allies over legal and political disputes. Their departures fueled growing speculation that Trump is becoming increasingly impatient with officials he believes are out of step with his agenda.
The vaping battle has become particularly politically sensitive for Trump, who has tried to balance public health concerns with support from adult vape users and small-business owners in the industry.
The FDA banned flavored cartridge-based vape products in 2020 amid mounting concerns over youth vaping. Several Democrat-led states, including New York and California, later imposed their own sweeping restrictions on flavored tobacco and nicotine products.
Now, with pressure building inside the White House, Makary’s future may depend on whether he is willing to fall in line with Trump’s push to loosen those restrictions — or risk becoming the next administration official shown the door.
Since vaping is considered to be injurious to a person’s health, how long will it be before R. Kennedy gets into trouble with Trump?
If Trump tosses this man, I will be appalled, along with many others that know the dangers of vaping and nicotine. trump should know better and realize that this drifts down to underage users. It is a terrible signal to the public that he is okay with this. Trump hired RFK, JR. to improve the health of Americans, but you can’t pick and choose. Trump wants to appease young voters? Why not just open the whole illegal drug market to young people to get their votes. It seems like every side wants to buy votes. Is that now the name of the game? Are people going to run to the polls this year and vote for Republicans because Trump supports vaping? I doubt that completely. This sends a bad sign to the rest of the voters. Maybe it’s time Trump started taking advice from others, by actually asking “what do YOU think”? If vapers vote Republican because they can vape, I think this would be fantasy…they will either vote Democrat or probably will not vote at all. Trump has done many wonderful things, but next time I look forward to be able to vote for DeSantis for a much clearer mind.
Makary needs to be mindful that his job is to protect the health of the American people. It is a balance to reach, given that our society should maximize personal freedom within reason. Trump has already gone along w/ the pot lobby wanting to relist marijuana from DEA’s Schedule I where it belonged, as dangerously addictive. The mental health community is well aware of pot’s perils, with high-THC modern weed leading to cases of full blown psychosis in young users. Trump has to avoid bending readily to party donor or to public sentiment when public sentiment is on the wrong side of public health. For decades, tobacco cigarettes weren’t considered harmful. Ultimately, there was a crackdown on peddling tobacco products to young people (remember cartoon character Joe Camel?)! Yet while the feds went to war against tobacco & tobacco use decreased among U.S. citizens, Soros & other millionaires pushed voter referenda to legalize “medical” marijuana– a total scam! Crude, smoke marijuana can never be medicinal; it always failed FDA’s gold standard for medicine as “safe” & “effective.” The referenda was meant to circumvent the FDA. So while we cracked down on tobacco cigarettes, we liberalized mind-altering, heavy-THC pot! Makary needs to mobilize MAHA & other groups advocating for healthier Americans, to fight for preventing more unhealthy and/or unsafe products to become available to our citizens & esp. to our vulnerable youth.