Trump sacks Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin

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US President Donald Trump shook up his cabinet once again on Wednesday by sacking embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and nominating White House doctor Ronny Jackson as his successor.

"I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs," said Trump, who has also replaced his secretary of state and national security adviser in the last month.

"I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin's service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!" he said on Twitter.

Secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs David Shulkin talks with US President Donald Trump during the signing of an executive order entitled "Supporting our Veterans during their Transition from Uniformed Service to Civilian Life" in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, US, Jan. 9, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

Pentagon official Robert Wilkie would serve as interim department chief until Jackson receives Congressional approval, the president added.

Shulkin's sacking had been widely predicted after he was accused of spending 122,000 US dollars on a nine-day trip to Europe with his wife, which included sightseeing at castles and taking in professional tennis matches.

He was one of the few senior officials in the Trump administration who had also served during the presidency of Barack Obama.

Jackson's stock with Trump rose after he pronounced that the 71-year-old president was in "excellent" health in January.

After releasing the results from Trump's physical, Jackson said "he has incredible genes and that's the way God made him."

January 16, 2018: White House physician Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson speaks at the press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC. /VCG Photo

Shulkin's departure caps a dizzying month of changes to the Trump cabinet, most notably the sacking of Rex Tillerson as secretary of state on March 13.

Trump's top economic adviser Gary Cohn also exited the White House after the president announced plans to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, a policy Cohn did not endorse.

And National Security Advisor HR McMaster was axed only six days ago, replaced by the hardline Fox News pundit and former UN ambassador John Bolton.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the second-largest federal agency after the Pentagon, employing 360,000 people.

The 58-year-old Shulkin had served as undersecretary of veterans affairs for health under Obama.

He previously worked as chief medical officer of the University of Pennsylvania health system.

Source(s): AFP