Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Wednesday that he was nominating the White House physician Ronny Jackson to be secretary of veterans affairs.

Jackson will replace David Shulkin who has long faced criticism after controversy over his taxpayer-funded travel on a trip to Europe, during which he accepted tickets to the Wimbledon tennis championships. According to a report from the VA inspector general, Shulkin allegedly had an email altered to justify the government paying $43,000 on his wife’s travel to Denmark as well as to the United Kingdom.

I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018

Although Shulkin had been praised by veterans groups for his leadership, a number of prominent conservatives within his agency felt that he was not taking sufficient steps towards privatizing the Veterans Health Administration, which provides healthcare to more than nine million veterans.

Shulkin, who was the only Trump cabinet nominee to be unanimously confirmed by the Senate, had previously served in the Obama adminstration as the number two at the Department of Veterans Affairs.



At a bill signing in June 2017, Trump said he would never use his television catchphrase “you’re fired” with Shulkin. “We will never use those words on you,” said Trump.

In a statement announcing the removal of Shulkin, Trump said: “I appreciate the work of Dr David Shulkin and the many great things we did together at veterans affairs, including the VA Accountability Act that he was helpful in getting passed. He has been a great supporter of veterans across the country and I am grateful for his service.”

Jackson has served as a physician in the White House since 2006 and officially became the president’s chief doctor in 2013. He is also a rear admiral in the United States Navy. Jackson came to national attention in January when he gave the press an hour-long briefing about Trump’s health after performing a physical on the president. At the time Jackson raved about Trump’s health saying: “Some people just have great genes. I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old … But I would say the answer to your question is he has incredibly good genes and it’s just the way God made him.”

As Jackson awaits Senate confirmation, the VA will be led by Robert Wilkie, who, served in the George W Bush administration and is currently the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

In a statement, Johnny Isakson, the chair of the Senate committee on veterans affairs, praised Shulkin. “Dr Shulkin has made a tremendous impact toward improving the lives of veterans during his time at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. He has been instrumental in all that we have accomplished in the last year, and I thank Dr Shulkin for his dedicated service to our country and our veterans,” said the Georgia Republican. Isakson added “I look forward to meeting Admiral Jackson and learning more about him.”