President Trump suggested Tuesday that Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician who Trump nominated to take over the Department of Veterans Affairs, might abandon his bid to lead the department in light of questions about his experience and background.
At a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said he has suggested to Jackson that he should consider withdrawing from the nomination.
“I don’t want to put a man through a process like this. It’s too ugly and too disgusting,” Trump said Tuesday.
The president said it is “totally [Jackson’s] decision” whether to withdraw his name from consideration
Trump tapped Jackson to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs after David Shulkin was ousted from the post.
Jackson was supposed to appear before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee for a confirmation hearing Wednesday, but the meeting was indefinitely postponed.
The postponement comes after Jackson was accused of drinking on the job and improperly handing out medication. The top senators on the Veterans Affairs Committee, Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga, and Jon Tester, D-Mont., sent a letter to Trump “requesting all information regarding any improper conduct” involving Jackson.
Jackson served as the doctor to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and has continued to serve under Trump.
The president praised his physician, calling him a “fine man” who he will “always stand behind.”
“But here’s a man who has just been an extraordinary person. His family, extraordinary success, great doctor, great everything, and he has to listen to the abuse?” Trump said. “If I were him, actually, in many ways I would love to be him, but the fact is I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it.
“What does he need it for? To be abused by a bunch of politicians that aren’t thinking nicely about our country. I really don’t think personally he should do it, but it’s totally his, I would stand behind him, totally his decision.”
Addressing concerns about Jackson’s experience, Trump said that running the world’s largest hospital system would be “small time” compared to the VA.
“Nobody has the experience,” Trump said. “What he is is a leader and a good man. But I told him, I said you know what, doc? You’re too fine a person. His son is a top student at Annapolis. He is a high-quality person. I said, what do you need it for? It’s totally his decision, but he’ll be making a decision.”
