Surgeon General Jerome Adams to step down at President Biden’s request

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says that the Biden administration has asked him to resign.

“It’s 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 said in a tweet Wednesday.

Adams was nominated by former President Trump in 2017. His four-year term was scheduled to end in September, but Biden asked him to resign as part of a larger effort to fully break from the Trump administration’s pandemic response.

The anesthesiologist and former Indiana health commissioner emerged as a key spokesperson for Trump’s coronavirus response but was criticized by Democrats, who said he didn’t do enough to push back against Trump’s efforts to downplay the pandemic.

“In the face of a once in a century pandemic, I sought to communicate the rapidly evolving science on this deadly adversary, and arm people with the knowledge and tools they needed to stay safe,” Adams said, in a Facebook post.

“I wasn’t always right- because no one was, and this virus continues to humble all of us- but I was always sincere in my efforts to speak to every day Americans, and address the terrible health inequities this virus exposed.”

Thank you for the opportunity to serve this great Nation, as this has been the honor of my life. Three years and five...
Posted by U.S. Surgeon General on Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Adams was in Hawaii in the summer to help administer coronavirus surge testing. During the trip, he and an associate were cited by Honolulu police for violating coronavirus restrictions after taking pictures at Kualoa Regional Park, which was closed to the public at the time as part of COVID-19 restrictions.

Adams was set to stand trial the week of March 29. However, Prosecutor Steve Alm filed a motion to dismiss all charges against Adams, saying his office should be going after other offenses that pose a real threat to the public.

A judge will make the final decision.

Biden has nominated Vivek H. Murthy as surgeon general, but he has yet to undergo Senate confirmation hearings. Murthy was formerly surgeon general under President Barack Obama.