Biden asked Surgeon General Jerome Adams to step down ahead of inauguration. Adams will leave eight months before his term was set to expire. Biden continues to purge the White House of Trump appointees.
Biden fires all Trump loyalists
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has been asked by the incoming administration to resign ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
“I’ve been asked by the Biden team to step down as Surgeon General,” Adams tweeted from the official U.S. Surgeon General Twitter account. “Its been the honor of my life to serve this Nation, and I will do all I can to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve and maintain health.”
Adams was nominated by President Donald Trump and was sworn in as surgeon general on Sept. 5, 2017. The office holds a standard four-year term that would have been up for Adams this upcoming September.
Biden has already nominated coronavirus transition adviser Vivek H. Murthy as surgeon general. Murthy previously served in the same role under President Barack Obama’s administration and was pushed out during the third year of his term when President Trump took office.
The Washington Post reports that the Biden administration would choose an acting surgeon general as soon as Wednesday.
I've been asked by the Biden team to step down as Surgeon General. Its been the honor of my life to serve this Nation, and I will do all I can to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve and maintain health. See my full statement at: https://t.co/pCkbpealt8
— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) January 20, 2021
Trump fought them hard, but the Deep State won
Adams, an anesthesiologist and Navy vice admiral, came to Washington after serving as the Indiana State Health Commissioner under then Gov. Mike Pence. Adams was one of the daily faces at the White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefings early on in the pandemic. In recent months, Adams has traveled the country and made frequent television appearances as the pandemic has continued.
In a full statement posted on Facebook, Adams reviewed his accomplishments and provided a message of unity.
“I hope in 2021 and beyond, we can focus more on what unites us, and rise above what divides us,” Adams said. “I stand at the ready to help in our mutual quest for recovery, resilience, and health, and thank you from the bottom of my heart, for the opportunity to serve.”