Trump appoints Dr. Oz to oversee healthcare, Lutnick to manage commerce

Today, President-elect Donald Trump tapped Dr. Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, low-income, and disabled Americans. He also selected Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department.

In a statement, President-elect Trump said, “America is facing a healthcare crisis, and there may be no physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to make America healthy again.”

As administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Oz would report to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if confirmed by the Senate. Trump added that Dr. Oz “will also cut waste and fraud within our country’s most expensive government agency.”

Dr. Oz, who ran an unsuccessful 2022 campaign to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, has been a vocal supporter of Trump and, in recent days, expressed support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the nation’s top health agency.

Meanwhile, Howard Lutnick, a cryptocurrency enthusiast and head of the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald, will play a key role in carrying out Trump’s plan to raise and enforce tariffs as Commerce Secretary.

The president-elect was also in Texas for the SpaceX Starship launch today. Trump’s attendance highlights his close relationship with Elon Musk, who donated more than $100 million to his campaign.