Is Dr. Anthony Fauci resigning amid criticisms? The White House health advisor said he has not thought about resigning and that he just wants to do his job.
The issue of Dr. Fauci resigning comes as he receives criticisms from President Donald Trump and other White House officials about his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, relayed that he told the government he found it “bizarre” and thought they made a “big mistake.” However, the expert believes his job is too important to quit now, according to his interview in “The Atlantic” magazine published Wednesday.
Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed that almost 3.5 million Americans have tested positive for coronavirus so far and at least 136,400 have died from Covid-19.
“I think the problem is too important for me to get into those kinds of thoughts and discussions,” he said, based on an edited transcript of the magazine interview. “I just want to do my job. I’m really good at it. I think I can contribute. And I’m going to keep doing it.”
Dr. Fauci became the director of NIAID in 1984 and has already served six US presidents.
Dr. Fauci’s remarks came amid reports that the Trump administration is seeking to discredit the infectious disease expert as surges in coronavirus cases continue across the US. In his op-ed published Tuesday, Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro slammed Fauci because he “has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.”
A White House official revealed to NBC News that “several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things.”
NBC News received a copy of a list of past statements made by Dr. Fauci earlier in the pandemic from the official. This is seen as the basis why the White House may discredit Dr. Fauci.
The list mentions the top health expert saying in January that coronavirus was “not a major threat” and “not driven by asymptomatic carriers” as well as Dr. Fauci’s remark in March that “people should not be walking around with masks.”
The list passed on by the White House appears similar to the opposition research that political candidates distribute to the media about their rivals.
Trump has been giving unfavorable remarks about Fauci recently. Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an interview, “Dr. Fauci’s a nice man, but he’s made a lot of mistakes.
“They’ve been wrong about a lot of things, including face masks,” he said. “Maybe they’re wrong, maybe not. A lot of them said don’t wear a mask, don’t wear a mask. Now they’re saying wear a mask. A lot of mistakes were made, a lot of mistakes.”
In response, Dr. Fauci told “The Atlantic” he has no idea about the reasons behind the criticisms. He affirmed that he stands by the things he said about the coronavirus pandemic.
“Contextually, at the time I said it, it was absolutely true … [The White House document] is totally wrong. It’s nonsense. It’s completely wrong. The whole thing is wrong. The whole thing is incorrect,” he said.
