Trump Suddenly Fires Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump Administration has unexpectedly fired U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, a holdover from the Obama Administration, and will replace him temporarily with his deputy, Rear Adm. Sylvia Trent-Adams. Murthy was asked to resign, and "after assisting in a smooth transition into the new Trump administration" he has been "relieved of his duties," the Department of Health and Human Services said in a widely reported statement.

Trent-Adams has spent 24 years in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and is a former chief nurse officer of the Public Health Service. Murthy will continue to serve as a member of the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service.

Murthy has not been an uncontroversial Surgeon General. In 2014, the National Rifle Association attempted to block his confirmation by lobbying the Senate due to his comments on gun violence being a public health threat. The Trump Administration did not provide any reason for Murthy's sudden removal from duty.

The administration has not tapped a permanent replacement for him yet. The selection of Trent-Adams as an interim Surgeon General drew criticism online due to the fact that she is not a doctor.

The Washington Post reported Murthy wrote in a Facebook post that "for the grandson of a poor farmer from India to be asked by the President to look out for the health of an entire nation was a humbling and uniquely American story. I will always be grateful to our country for welcoming my immigrant family nearly 40 years ago and giving me this opportunity to serve."

Murthy worked at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he also completed his residency, prior to taking on the surgeon general's post. He is also a founder and president of Doctors for Obama, which later changed its name to Doctors for America.

Image via United States Department of Health and Human Services