Cecilia Lei

Last night's speech was less clear on exact timeframes, but it was an argument on why the war, in the administration's view, was necessary.

The U.S.

has been missing its Surgeon General for more than a year now.

Known as the nation's doctor, they're the person chiefly responsible for communicating health messages to the public.

Trump's pick was Casey Means, an entrepreneur and wellness influencer, but now there's speculation over her future.

She faced a rocky nomination, especially over how aligned she was with her potential boss, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Here she is going up against Democratic Senator Tim Kaine during her confirmation hearing.

Since that contentious hearing, Means' nomination has stalled.

And on Air Force One last Sunday, Trump didn't exactly get behind her when asked if he could support someone else.

The White House has since clarified, saying Trump stands behind means and urged the Senate Health Committee to advance her nomination.

Means is a doctor but currently does not have an active medical license and never finished her surgical residency at Stanford.

She's also a staunch ally of Secretary Kennedy and worked on his failed presidential campaign in 2024.

She's made a big name for herself in the wellness influencer community and is a big proponent of Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again agenda.

Dan Diamond has been following Means' confirmation process for The Washington Post.

Now, as her nomination seems precarious, past Surgeon Generals are speaking out, like Trump's first Surgeon General, Jerome Adams, who told Diamond the role had centuries of precedent, and she lacked the requirements to meet them.

Here's Adams on CBS.

Diamond told us this was another example of the contrast between Trump's two terms.

Adams was an appointee with a more conventional background, while Means is more overtly aligned with key administration officials, in this case, Kennedy.

The Surgeon General doesn't really make policy, but many argue they can be important roles for building public trust in health initiatives.

But Diamond said there's a decent chance this could drag on for a while yet.