Tipsheet

Top CDC Official Quits in Protest, Defends ‘Pregnant People’ and Woke Politics

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  August 28, 2025 1:15 PM

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), has resigned from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), amid what he calls "radical non-transparency" and "manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people." He posted his letter of resignation to X.

"The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people," it reads, referring to changes made in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by Secretary RFK Jr. 

Dr. Demetre, in his former position, oversaw efforts against vaccine-preventable and respiratory infectious diseases such as COVID-19, influenza, measles, and avian influenza.

We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary.  I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.

For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics.  I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision.

The reckless handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a massive increase in skepticism of major medical bodies within the United States. The same body that produced Dr. Fauci as a leading doctor in the United States is continuing to erode what little public trust remains when it doubles down on wokeness. Just look at the medical community's willingness to engage in transgenderism, and "inclusive language"  such as referring to "pregnant women" as "pregnant people."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis chimed in to the conversation, posting on X: "Example of how 'trusting the science' really means following the political science and perpetuating the prevailing narrative…Embracing evidence-based medicine should be the bare minimum for working at the CDC…" referencing Dr. Demetre's use of the term "pregnant people."

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Another X user pointed to the director's email signature as reason enough to consider his resignation a win. Doctor Demetre signed his resignation: "Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)."