Trump Appoints COVID Lockdown Critic Jay Bhattacharya to Lead NIH, Partners with RFK Jr.

President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a vocal critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates, to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the leading U.S. medical research agency. Bhattacharya, a 56-year-old physician and professor at Stanford University, is renowned for his opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns, which he called “the single biggest public health mistake.”

Trump announced the appointment on Tuesday evening, stating that Bhattacharya will work alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to revitalize NIH and address America’s top health challenges. “Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research, examining the causes and solutions to America’s health crises, including chronic illness and disease,” Trump wrote.

Bhattacharya, a co-author of the controversial Great Barrington Declaration, which advocated for an alternative COVID-19 strategy based on “herd immunity” and focused protections on high-risk populations, has been a prominent figure in the ongoing debate over pandemic policies. The document, released in October 2020, argued that lockdowns were causing more harm than good. His stance was met with criticism from public health experts but found support among some members of the Trump administration.

In March 2021, Bhattacharya reiterated his views, calling lockdowns the “single biggest public health mistake.” His views, which often clashed with mainstream scientific opinion, led to restrictions on his social media accounts, and he was a plaintiff in the Murthy v. Missouri case, challenging the suppression of conservative voices on social media.

Bhattacharya’s nomination would require Senate approval. Trump also announced the appointment of Jim O’Neill, a former HHS official, as deputy secretary of HHS, tasked with overseeing operations and improving transparency and accountability within the department.

NIH, with a $48 billion budget, funds research into vaccines, cancer, and other critical health issues. Bhattacharya’s appointment highlights the continued influence of the COVID-19 debate on U.S. public health policy and the direction of Trump’s administration, particularly in how it seeks to reshape agencies like NIH and HHS.