Donald Trump's Surgeon General Pick Was Involved in Tragic Childhood Gun Accident That Killed Her Father

Mar. 15, 2025

Donald Trump, Janette Nesheiwat.Photo:James Devaney/GC Images; Terry Wyatt/Getty

James Devaney/GC Images; Terry Wyatt/Getty

President-electDonald Trump’s surgeon general nominee was involved in a tragic gun accident as a teenager that killed her father.

At age 13, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat — who was announced as Trump’s pick to become the “nation’s doctor” in November — accidentally knocked a handgun off a shelf, fatally shooting her father,The New York Timesreported.

Nesheiwat told police in the report she entered her father’s bedroom while he was sleeping to try to find scissors. She said she “opened a fishing tackle box” on a shelf above the bed but ultimately pushed it over, leading a .380 caliber handgun inside to discharge and shoot her father in the head.

“There was a loud noise. I saw blood on my father’s ear,” she recalled to police at the time, per theTimes. Police categorized the incident as an “accidental shooting,” according to the outlet.

Nesheiwat pictured in New York City in May 2016.Ryan Liu/Getty

Ryan Liu/Getty

The physician writes in the first sentence of her memoir,Beyond the Stethoscope: Miracles in Medicine, that the traumatic childhood accident led Nesheiwat down her current career path.

“When I was 13 years old, I helplessly watched my dear father dying from an accident as blood was spurting everywhere. I couldn’t save his life,” she writes in the book, according to theTimes. “This was the start of my personal journey in life to become a physician and enter the world of healing arts.”

Nesheiwat does not mention any other details about how her father died in the book.

Trump announced Dr. Nesheiwat as his surgeon general pick in November.Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/AP

Trump, 78, announced Nesheiwat as his pick for surgeon general on Nov. 22.

Nesheiwat has worked as an urgent-care doctor in New York City for 15 years and joined Fox News as a medical contributor during COVID-19. She is also a member of Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Assistance, Relief Team.

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If her nomination is confirmed, Nesheiwat will replace current surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy after Trump begins his second term as president in January.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy speaks during a hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee in June 2023.Anna Moneymaker/Getty

Anna Moneymaker/Getty

A spokesman for Trump’s transition team, Brian Hughes, said in a statement toNYT, “As [Nesheiwat] says in her book, she became a physician because of her dad’s tragic accidental death. She became a physician to save lives, and that dedication to the lives of her fellow Americans is why President Trump nominated Dr. Nesheiwat to be our next surgeon general.”

“She and her family miss their father, and hope he’s proud of them.”

PEOPLE has reached out to Nesheiwat’s representatives for further comment.

source: people.com