STOCKS | Trump Surgeon General Pick Holds Stakes in Tobacco and Beverage Stocks

Financial disclosure documents released on Thursday showed that Nicole Saphier, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for Surgeon General, holds investments in Philip Morris International, as well as beverage companies including Monster Beverage, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo. According to Sina Finance, she disclosed the holdings in an ethics agreement and said she would divest all or part of the positions, while also selling shares in several major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Eli Lilly, Biogen, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and AbbVie. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made cracking down on unhealthy ultra-processed foods a work priority. According to Sina Finance, Saphier also supports removing food additives, reducing ultra-processed foods in the diet, and encouraging exercise. Saphier is the founder of DropRx, which sells “physician-formulated” herbal dietary supplements. According to Sina Finance, she also serves as breast imaging director at the Monmouth branch of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New Jersey and was previously a Fox News commentator. The Surgeon General is known as America’s top doctor and is responsible for delivering authoritative scientific information to the public and guiding healthier behavior. According to Sina Finance, Saphier's Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for September 16 (Wednesday).