Dismantling the deep state

President Trump's tweet over the weekend that a “deep state” at the FDA is “making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test vaccines and therapeutics” drew a sharp response from biotech executives and from former regulators.  

Former Commissioner Robert Califf, for instance, tweeted  that “one of the great things about FDA is that decisions are made by full-time civil servants without conflicts.” 

The question is how the current commissioner, Stephen Hahn, might respond.  

“Look, I understand Hahn is in a rough spot. Trump is mercurial and selfish,” STAT’s Ed Silverman opines. “Rather than duck, Hahn needs to push back even more and defend the FDA staff. He should tweet that the agency is not part of the ‘deep state’ and that a vaccine will approved only when one is ready.”