❓WHAT HAPPENED: Dr. Vinay Prasad, a hematologist-oncologist, has been appointed Director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) despite prior anti-Trump comments, including claims he stabbed a “voodoo” doll of the America First leader to “curse” him.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Dr. Vinay Prasad, President Donald J. Trump, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the FDA.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Prasad’s anti-Trump statements were made on his podcast and other media appearances over the last several years.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Who can I curse for the pandemic? I mean, I’m frustrated like a lot of people; I’m annoyed. But who do I curse? And there’s no one to really curse, but I can curse Trump. I have his little statue. I stab him, his little figurette.” — Dr. Vinay Prasad
🎯IMPACT: The public remarks expose a lack of proper vetting for administration officials and potential political bias that has the potential to undermine the Trump administration.
Dr. Vinay Prasad, a hematologist-oncologist and outspoken progressive commentator, has been appointed Director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). This appointment comes despite prior anti-Trump comments that include claims he stabbed a voodoo doll to “curse” the America First leader.
Nominated in May by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Prasad’s elevation to a key regulatory role comes amid concerns about political bias revealed by journalist Laura Loomer. Prasad has opposed key Trump policies like the Right to Try Act—championed by the President to expand treatment access for terminally ill patients.
Prasad’s podcast, Plenary Session—and other public appearances—provide a record of his hostility toward Trump and the Republican base. On a February 7, 2021, episode, Prasad admitted he “stabbed a Trump voodoo doll to ‘curse’ Trump”.
“Who can I curse for the pandemic? I mean, I’m frustrated like a lot of people; I’m annoyed. But who do I curse? And there’s no one to really curse, but I can curse Trump. I have his little statue. I stab him, his little figurette,” Prasad said, admitting it was voodoo with his guest.
His rhetoric has consistently painted the President in stark terms. On October 3, 2020, he aligned himself with the “Never Trump” movement, declaring, “I hate him too.” Days later, he called Trump “a narcissist” who “uses evil as a tool.” Later the same month, he alleged Trump’s lies “could fill a few 10,000-page volume books.”
His contempt extends beyond Trump to his political supporters. In a November 7, 2020, episode, Prasad described Trump’s base as a “cult” and likened them to “substance abusers” or “criminals.” Expressing disappointment in the closeness of the 2020 election, he called it “a crushing loss for Democrats, for progressives like myself” because he had hoped for a landslide.
In a July 7, 2022, episode of the VPZD Show, Prasad mocked Trump loyalists in the wake of the January 6 Capitol protests, criticizing those who “turn a blind eye for insurrection.”
Prasad has openly identified as a progressive, stating in an October 16, 2021, episode, “I’m on the far left.”
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