The White House said Monday that Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson is still working at the White House as a deputy assistant to President Trump, but in a statement, it made no mention of him as someone who is continuing to serve as Trump’s personal physician.
The change in title seemed to indirectly confirm reports that Jackson is no longer serving as Trump’s doctor. Prior White House statements have referred to Jackson as a “physician to the president,” but a Monday statement from the White House made no mention of that title.
The White House didn’t clarify what duties Jackson would be handling under his new title, and also insisted that despite this apparent change, there are “no personnel announcements at this time.”
“Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson is currently on active duty, assigned to the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President,” White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah said in a statement. “Despite published reports, there are no personnel announcements at this time.”
Jackson last week withdrew his name from being considered to be Veterans Affairs secretary. Before that, his Senate confirmation hearing was indefinitely postponed following unverified reports emerged that he had been drunk on the job and over-prescribed pain medication, like opiods.
Shortly after removing his name from the hat for VA secretary, several media reports indicated that Jackson was planning on stepping down and would not be returning to his post as White House physician.
