**Trump's Health Agency Appointments Signal a Shift Away from Public Health Science**

In the aftermath of the recent elections, a reflection on the ongoing anti-incumbent sentiment has brought to light a significant issue: unresolved trauma from the global pandemic. The United States has borne a heavy toll, with over 1.2 million lives lost in a brief span due to a novel and deadly virus. During the spring of 2020 alone, New York City saw more than 15,000 fatalities, as medical systems buckled under pressure, and supplies dwindled. The nation's reaction was one of barely controlled panic, and the failure to adequately address this collective trauma leaves the country susceptible to repeating past mistakes.

At the center of this public health crisis was former President Donald Trump, whose approach to managing the pandemic was widely criticized for its dishonesty and incompetence. As recounted in Bob Woodward's book "Rage," and confirmed by taped interviews with Trump himself, the former president's mishandling of the crisis arguably led to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths. Trump's administration was accused of silencing CDC scientists, spreading misinformation, and listening to unreliable sources, actions which undermined efforts to control the pandemic.

This legacy of mismanagement appears set to continue as Trump announces new appointments to key health agencies. Among these appointments is Dr. David Weldon, a former GOP congressman from Florida known for his controversial stance on vaccine safety. Weldon has been vocal about his belief in the debunked theory linking thimerosal in vaccines to autism and previously attempted to create a separate vaccine agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Joining Weldon are other figures like Dr. Martin Makary from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who has publicly opposed several COVID-19 policies and incorrectly predicted the pandemic's resolution through natural immunity by April 2021—a prediction that was tragically off the mark with more than 450,000 deaths occurring in that year alone.

For Surgeon General, Trump has nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a Fox News contributor married to Florida Representative Michael Walz. While Nesheiwat's stance is somewhat more moderate regarding vaccines, her background and associations suggest she might still align with the broader anti-vaccine sentiment pervading these appointments.

Another significant potential appointee is Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University, prominently associated with the Great Barrington Declaration, which argued against lockdowns during the pandemic. This controversial stance, supported by a libertarian think tank known for climate change denial, may indicate a troubling shift in how the National Institute of Health (NIH) could be managed under his influence.

In sum, Trump's recent and potential appointments to America's top health agencies point to a worrying disdain for established public health science. These decisions not only reflect a vengeful approach but also stoke fears of future public health crises being met with a response driven more by ideology than by scientific consensus. As we grapple with the scars left by COVID-19, such leadership changes could pave the way for even deeper systemic issues in our handling of public health emergencies.