Jackson, who retired from the Navy as a rear admiral last year, was first appointed to the White House medical unit under former president George W. Bush, then became the president’s doctor in 2013, under Barack Obama.
But he gained national fame after effusively praising Trump’s health and “great genes” in 2018, declaring: “I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old”.
Soon after, Trump nominated him to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, but Jackson withdrew his name from consideration following allegations he had improperly handed out drugs and was sometimes drunk at work.
During his campaign for Congress, Jackson positioned himself as a close Trump supporter, endorsing the narrative that Obama had “weaponized” the government to spy on Trump.
He also broke ranks with public health officials on COVID-19, saying that mask-wearing should be a “personal choice,” and he questioned Joe Biden’s cognitive capacity to run for president.
