Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed his Secretary of Veterans Affairs, announcing on Twitter the name of his successor, White House physician Ronny Jackson.
– I am pleased to announce that I will appoint the respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, physician, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs, wrote Donald Trump.
I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs….
– I thank Doctor David Shulkin for serving our country and our GREAT VETERANS!, added the president, stating that Robert Wilkie, a Pentagon official, will serve as acting secretary until Congress approves Admiral Jackson’s appointment.
Ronny Jackson, Photo: YouTube
The dismissal of David Shulkin (58) has been discussed for weeks, and American media have reported on the problems in managing that department, which is, after the Department of Defense, the largest in the administration, with nearly 310,000 employees.
Ronny Jackson, born in Texas, served in Iraq in 2005 and was appointed White House physician in 2006. He has cared for the health of three presidents: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
Trump’s health is good, despite the pounds
He experienced a moment of glory on January 16 at a press conference in the White House held after Donald Trump’s first official health examination while rumors circulated about the president’s inability to perform his duties.
Doctor Jackson stated at that time that Trump is in “excellent” health, despite a certain excess of weight, and is capable of performing his duties.
Trump promised during his campaign to improve the operations of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which, after more than 15 years of continuous warfare, has significant problems in caring for millions of veterans in America, while criticisms of its disastrous performance have been heard for over a decade.
Hundreds of thousands of veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder in mild or severe forms.
This is the latest staff change in Trump’s administration. Just in March, National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and the president’s chief economic advisor Gary Cohn left their positions.
