Transcript: Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” April 19, 2026
The following is the transcript of the interview with the Trump Administration’s first Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, which aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on April 19, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We now turn to former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, who joins us this morning from Indianapolis. Good to see you again, doctor. The country has been without a Senate-confirmed CDC director since Secretary Kennedy fired Dr. Monarez, just one month into her term. But last week, the president named Dr. Erica Schwartz to head the CDC. I know she worked as deputy surgeon general. Do you see this as a deliberate choice by the White House to choose someone who actually supports vaccines?
DR. JEROME ADAMS: Well, absolutely. And again, we’ve talked in the past about the fact that the Fabrizio and Ward poll showed that Republicans were going to pay in the midterm elections if they continued their anti-vaccine campaign. But I want to say that Dr. Schwartz is a home run pick. She has an MD, JD, and MPH and more than two decades of public service in the Coast Guard, where she was Surgeon General, and in the Public Health Service, as you mentioned, from where she retired as a Rear Admiral, and that’s why I personally selected her to be my Deputy Surgeon General.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you concerned that she could, you know, conduct herself without political interference?
DR. JEROME ADAMS: Well, that’s a great question, and it’s a good question, Margaret. I would say she is objectively the most qualified health nominee we’ve seen in this administration thus far, and I want to thank HHS Chairman and Senior Advisor Chris Klomp for harnessing her, but that said, my optimism like yours comes with a healthy dose of caution about the environment around Dr. Schwartz. We’ve seen this before, as you mentioned with Susan Monarez, and last week the acting director of the CDC withheld an MMWR report showing that COVID vaccines reduced emergency room visits among healthy adults this winter. Additionally, Dr. Schwartz still needs Senate confirmation, where she will be clearly opposed to RFK on vaccines. And recent history tells us that if confirmed, she will be in real danger of following ideology over evidence in what is a vaccine-skeptical HHS, all while facing a growing measles outbreak, low morale at the CDC, and the continued impacts of the DOGE rollback.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the secretary will be before Congress again this week. You mentioned measles. The United States already has more than 1,700 measles infections in the first four months of this year. We noted that when Secretary Kennedy was sworn in last week, he appeared to change his rhetoric regarding the MMR vaccine. It is the vaccine that prevents measles infections. Listen.
[START SOUND ON TAPE]REPRESENTATIVE MADELEINE DEAN: Can you tell me, can you tell all of us, is the MMR vaccine safe and effective, yes or no?
SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. : The MMR vaccine…
REPRESENTATIVE. Madeleine DEAN: Yes or no?
SECRETARY ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. : Yes.
REPRESENTATIVE. Madeleine DEAN: Thank you.
SECRETARY ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. : It is safe for most people.
REPRESENTATIVE. MADELEINE DEAN: Do you agree that getting vaccinated is much safer than getting measles?
SECRETARY ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. : Yes.
[END SOUND ON TAPE]MARGARET BRENNAN: So it was a nuanced response, but it was still an endorsement, it seems. Is he convinced by the evidence, in your opinion?
DR. JEROME ADAMS: Well, he also admitted under oath that it was possible that vaccination could have saved the life of a child who died during the recent outbreak in Texas. These statements therefore represent his strongest public support for the measles vaccine to date. It’s no coincidence, as you mentioned, that this lukewarm support comes after reports that the White House asked him to stop speaking negatively about vaccines and move forward before the midterm elections. But the nuanced and tempered response he gave still risks, Margaret, sending mixed messages at a time when we face our worst measles resurgence in decades, declining vaccination rates, preventable outbreaks, millions of dollars in state and local costs, and thousands of missed school days.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes, and I know that the CDC data shows that the vaccination rate – the vaccination rate has declined. I noted this exchange that I also want to recount for you here, because the Secretary has been asked several times about past statements he and the President of the United States have made linking the use of Tylenol in pregnant women to autism in their children. A Republican lawmaker from Utah, Blake Moore, told Kennedy that his own 10-year-old son Winnie was neurodivergent, and he said Kennedy’s remarks were hurtful. Listen to this.
[START SOUND ON TAPE]REPRESENTATIVE BLAKE MOORE: I was disappointed with what we ultimately released. My wife was hurt and she felt for a split second until she came to her senses and we talked about it, that she was responsible in some way. We don’t even know if she took Tylenol while pregnant, but it was a hurtful moment for her.
[END SOUND ON TAPE]MARGARET BRENNAN: But on this point, Kennedy did not give in. He continues to say that studies showing no link are, quote, bullshit. What is the reality?
DR. JEROME ADAMS: Well, the reality is that for pregnant women with fever or significant pain, Tylenol remains one of the safest and most studied options that we have. And to suggest otherwise without proof is dangerous. It’s irresponsible and, as you heard from the Congressman, it’s extremely stigmatizing toward parents and has the potential to cause real harm to moms and babies. Science advances with data, not dogma and rejection and the bullshit he was referring to was a Danish study of 1.5 million children that was published, which presents clear, high quality queer evidence that pregnant women who use Tylenol do not have an increased risk of autism. In fact, in this study, they had a lower risk of autism.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about what the president announced yesterday in the Oval Office. He was surrounded by podcaster Joe Rogan and a number of Navy SEALs, and he said he wanted to boost federal research into psychedelic drugs and make them more available.
More specifically, they were touting this drug, ibogaine, I think, that’s how it’s called.
DR. JEROME ADAMS: That’s right.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What should Americans know about this particular drug and its uses?
DR. JEROME ADAMS: Well, first of all, almost 15 million Americans suffer from serious mental illnesses every year, and among veterans, that burden is about one in four. It is therefore clear that we must accelerate rigorous, evidence-based research into promising treatments. Early studies of psychedelics such as ibogaine and psilocybin showed potential for rapid improvement in symptoms and functioning in treatment-resistant cases. So, yesterday’s executive order provides $50 million in research funding, directs the FDA to prioritize voucher reviews for breakthrough therapies, and directs the FDA and DEA to ease right-to-try barriers. Additionally, and most importantly, it maintains full FDA and DEA oversight, so this is not a legalization or reclassification of psychedelics, but the content, while reasonable, was overshadowed by the rollout, as you mentioned with Joe Rogan, it was a show resembling a WWE promotion. And people like Kevin Sabet have said, well, this overshadows the substance that we’ve seen, and what I think could be a productive EO.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, executive order. Very good, thank you, Dr. Adams, it’s always good to hear your ideas. We’ll be back right away.
