Dr. Anthony Fauci plans to step down from his roles running the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and advising the White House as its chief medical advisor at the end of the year, he announced in a statement Monday.
Fauci partially stated, “I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden. I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career.”
Fauci continued, saying that while he is not retiring, he “plans to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field. I want to use what I have learned as NIAID Director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats.”
Fauci added, “Over the coming months, I will continue to put my full effort, passion and commitment into my current responsibilities, as well as help prepare the Institute for a leadership transition. NIH is served by some of the most talented scientists in the world, and I have no doubt that I am leaving this work in very capable hands.”
President Biden reacted to Fauci’s announcement, writing partially in a statement, “As he leaves his position in the U.S. Government, I know the American people and the entire world will continue to benefit from Dr. Fauci’s expertise in whatever he does next. Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.”
According to CNBC, the 81-year-old has advised seven U.S. presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, West Nile virus outbreak, 2001 anthrax attacks, pandemic influenza, bird flu threats, Ebola, Zika, and, most recently, Covid and monkeypox.
Fauci’s announcement comes less than three short months from the midterm elections. Coincidence? Twitter users weighed in.
One user wrote, “FAUCI HAS RESIGNED [with] Mere months before expected GOP victories and expected congressional investigations of Fauci.”
Donald Trump Jr., tweeted, “Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US’s top infectious disease expert who has seeming been wrong about everything since the AIDS epidemic, says he will retire by the end of the year likely to avoid being questioned by a GOP controlled house on how he got everything so wrong for so long!”
Other Twitter users slammed Fauci for his overall handling of the pandemic, with Greg Price tweeting, “The legacy of Dr. Fauci will forever be a grandparent dying alone in a hospital room while he does another photoshoot for a magazine cover.”
Another user tweeted, “Your grandparent died alone, your business went under, and your child lost two years of their education while Dr. Fauci went on TV every day, did photoshoots for magazines, and became the highest paid government employee. He is the most destructive bureaucrat in American history.”
