Former Trump administration surgeon general Jerome Adams has revealed he is struggling to find a job in “left-leaning” science – and claims the White House forced him to ditch his wife’s post when she recovered from cancer.
Adams, 48, and his wife Lacey, 46, told the Washington Post that what they have described as the “Trump Effect” has dogged them from DC to their home in suburban Indianapolis.
The couple said the effect followed Adams to job interviews, where he received “polite rejections” from university officials who feared anyone working for former US President Donald Trump would be poorly received.
Two years after Adams left office as the 20th surgeon general in the US, the couple said they feel it even more since Trump announced he would run for president again.
‘[Trump is] a force that really deflates the room,” Adams said.
“The Trump hangover still affects me in a significant way [and the 2024 Trump campaign] will make things even harder for me.’
Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, 48, has revealed he struggled to find a job in “left-leaning” academia after leaving the Trump administration
Adams and his wife Lacey believe they have been affected by what they call the “Trump Effect” in the past two years since Adams left the government
Before his appointment, Lacey had said she “hates Trump” and didn’t want her husband to give up his life in Indiana out of concern there would be “permanent stigma.”
Adams feels he has sealed his image as Trump’s surgeon general, bearing the brunt of the White House’s highly criticized early response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 48-year-old believes other surgeon generals have been less strongly identified with the president who appointed them.
“It was a lot harder than he thought to find a place to land because of the Trump effect,” Lacey said.
Eight months after leaving office, Jerome was unable to find a job.
The couple began to worry about how they would support their three children, especially given that Lacey was not working outside the home.
Adams said people were “scared” to touch anything related to the controversial former US president, who made history notably with his two-term impeachment.
However, he added that he was “not complaining” but was providing “context” to his predicament.
While the Trump administration struggled with effective responses to the pandemic, the new surgeon general kept unleashing firestorms
Adams claims he was also asked to remove a photo posted by his wife when she discovered she had cancer, on which she attacked the administration
While Adams had gone to Washington hoping to focus on opioid addiction, he was instead pushed into a much more public role, which in turn would hurt his reputation and family.
In 2018, doctors in Lacey discovered a tumor between the size of a pea and a grape – eventually removing 12 lymph nodes, some of which were cancerous.
Lacey posted a selfie at the medical center on her Facebook page and took the opportunity to take a peek at the administration.
Adams claims he was asked to remove the post immediately.
In the months that followed, Lacey came to believe that she had beaten cancer and had been undergoing immunotherapy for a year.
While the Trump administration struggled with effective responses to the pandemic, the new surgeon general kept unleashing firestorms.
He urged African Americans who contracted COVID-19 in disproportionate numbers to take precautions to protect their “Big Mama.”
Adams urged people not to buy masks amid the pandemic as there is a shortage.
And he espoused the Trump administration’s theory that people were at greater risk of contracting the common flu than the coronavirus, a forecast later found to be inaccurate.
Two years after Adams left office as the 20th surgeon general in the US, the couple said they feel it even more since Trump announced he would run for president again
Bracing themselves for the barbs, the two were surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reaction when Adams posted a photo of Lacey to Twitter
That summer, tests revealed Lacey’s cancer had returned. But with that, the pair have seen a departure from the “Trump Effect,” which they both hope will be permanent
These missteps, which Adams attributes to the government’s partisanship, have drawn heavy criticism.
On social media, trolls called his family ugly and criticized Adams, who is black, for marrying a white woman.
In July 2020, Lacey discovered her tumor was back after getting clear scans in January of that year.
The cancer had returned for a second round, this time it was stage 4. She started immunotherapy and beat him again.
For two years she passed routine scans with good results. Then last summer, tests showed the cancer had returned.
Her husband recently asked if he could tweet a photo of her lying in profile in bed with the covers partially obscuring her face.
Bracing themselves for the barbs, the two were surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reaction when Adams posted a photo of Lacey to Twitter.
“I disagree with your policy. God bless your sweet wife,” said one user.
“I’m sorry your wife has cancer, even though I totally disagree with some of your decisions,” said another.
Some people even wanted advice: “Should we be concerned about a single birthmark, or look for odd shapes and changes in multiples?”
The couple hoping the postponement would be a permanent one.