--- description: President Donald Trump suggested that his own Veterans Affairs nominee Ronny Jackson, whose Senate hearing was recently postponed, drop out. title: Donald Trump Just Suggested His Own Veterans Affairs Nominee That He Drop Out image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt93544eb93e020a98/69892e87929fadce33bf05ca/ronny-jackson-confirmation-va.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [White House](/tag/white-house/) ## White House Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Donald Trump Just Suggested To His Own Veterans Affairs Nominee That He Drop Out by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 8:21 PM CUTPublished: Apr 24, 2018 6:16 PM CUT  Dr. Ronny Jackson, nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in Washington on April 16, 2018\. Isaks Dr. Ronny Jackson, nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in Washington on April 16, 2018\. IsaksTom Williams—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 8:21 PM CUTPublished: Apr 24, 2018 6:16 PM CUT President Donald Trump suggested that his own Veterans Affairs nominee, Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, drop out, arguing that the Senate confirmation process is “too ugly and disgusting.” Speaking at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said that he was not aware of the “particular allegations” about improper workplace behavior leveled at Jackson, who currently serves as the White House physician, but he said he suggested Jackson consider withdrawing. “I said to Dr. Jackson, ‘What do you need it for?'” he said. “I don’t want to put a man through a process like this. It’s too ugly and disgusting.” He said that Jackson will be making the choice on whether to drop out: “It’s totally his decision,” Trump said. Jackson, who first drew attention after he [gave Trump’s annual physical](http://time.com/5104183/donald-trump-health-ronny-jackson/ "undefined") at a January press conference, had his [confirmation hearing delayed](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senate-postpones-confirmation-hearing-for-ronny-jackson-to-head-veterans-affairs/2018/04/23/8d2bfd14-471d-11e8-ad53-d5751c8f243f%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.51acbea3fd05 "undefined") after top Republicans and Democrats raised concerns about his lack of relevant management experience and allegations of improper conduct on the job. “We need to know if allegations raised by others may have some factual basis. That’s the process of vetting that has to occur,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal [told reporters](https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/23/politics/ronny-jackson-veterans-affairs-nomination/index.html "undefined") Monday. Jackson told NBC News that he was disappointed about the delay. “I’m looking forward to the hearing, so we can sit down and I can explain everything to everyone and answer all the senators’ questions,” he said. At the press conference, Trump did not rebut any of the as-yet undetailed claims but vouched for Jackson overall. “I haven’t heard of the particular allegations, but I will tell you he is one of the finest people I’ve met,” Trump said at the press conference. _With Tessa Berenson in Washington_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5252833/donald-trump-ronny-jackson/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5252833/donald-trump-ronny-jackson/"},"headline":"Donald Trump Just Suggested To His Own Veterans Affairs Nominee That He Drop Out","datePublished":"2018-04-24T18:16:12.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T20:21:13.000Z","description":"President Donald Trump suggested that his own Veterans Affairs nominee Ronny Jackson, whose Senate hearing was recently postponed, drop out.","url":"https://time.com/5252833/donald-trump-ronny-jackson/","keywords":["White House","Donald Trump","Veterans Affairs"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt93544eb93e020a98/69892e87929fadce33bf05ca/ronny-jackson-confirmation-va.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ryan Teague Beckwith","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt93544eb93e020a98/69892e87929fadce33bf05ca/ronny-jackson-confirmation-va.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ronny Jackson VA Confirmation","caption":"Ronny Jackson VA Confirmation","creditText":"Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5252833/donald-trump-ronny-jackson/","name":"Donald Trump Just Suggested To His Own Veterans Affairs Nominee That He Drop Out"}}]}] ```