Fauci's Refusal To Work With Trump Again Delights MAGA Supporters

A number of Donald Trump supporters have rejoiced after Dr. Anthony Fauci said he would leave his role as the White House chief medical adviser if the former president wins the 2024 election.

Fauci laughed off the suggestion that he would remain in his White House role if Trump returned as president or that he would have any confidence Trump would be able to deal with COVID-19, or another potential pandemic, during an interview with CNN's Jim Acosta on Sunday.

"No," Fauci said. "If you look at the history of what the response was during the administration, I think, you know, at best, you can say it wasn't optimal. And I think just, history will speak for itself about that."

When Acosta clarified that Fauci would not serve with Trump again in the White House, Fauci replied: "Right. For sure, yeah."

fauci cnn interview trump
Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, attend a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, in the press briefing room of the White House on March 24,... Getty Images/Drew Angerer

Several of Trump's allies have since shared a clip of the interview on social media, suggesting that Fauci has now given people a reason to vote for Trump should he choose to run again in 2024.

"As if we needed yet another reason to elect Trump!!!" tweeted the former president's eldest child, Donald Trump Jr.

Conservative radio host Bryan Fischer tweeted Fauci's remarks are "huge, mondo reason to vote for Trump in 2024."

T.J. Moe, a former NFL receiver turned media personality, said: "Fauci has so little self awareness, he doesn't know that he just single-handedly added additional Trump voters."

Fauci, who is also director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has long been a target by conservatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the Trump presidency.

Fauci frequently clashed with Trump as the then president downplayed the seriousness of the virus. The White House adviser was also frequently criticized by conservative figures who wanted to see an end to guidelines and restrictions related to the pandemic.

Despite a number of restrictions being lifted across the country, Fauci is still being targeted by MAGA political candidates ahead of the midterms who are hoping to turn the anger towards Fauci into votes.

In January, Florida Governor and top Trump ally Ron DeSantis released a political ad in which he suggested Fauci should "pound sand" over the apparent contradictory advice Fauci offered throughout the pandemic.

In March, Ohio congressman Jim Jordan said that a GOP-controlled House should investigate "all the lies" and misinformation Fauci is accused of giving about the origins of the coronavirus if the party regains the chamber after November's midterms.

Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has frequently called for Fauci to be fired or have his salary be reduced to nothing over his handling of the pandemic and for not publicly supporting the disputed claim the virus emanated from a lab in Wuhan, China.

Kari Lake, an Arizona gubernatorial candidate who is endorsed by Trump, also suggested Fauci could face criminal charges while responding to the CNN interview.

"Dr. Fauci has announced that he will NOT serve under President Trump during his second term. Well duh... it's pretty hard to hold an official position from behind bars. #ArrestFauci," Lake tweeted.

Elsewhere, Jim Pillen, who recently beat the Trump-backed Charles Herbster in the Nebraska gubernatorial primary, also released an anti-COVID restrictions advert which featured him holding a rifle dressed in full hunting gear, saying "don't get me started" on Fauci.

In January 2021 after Joe Biden entered the White House, Fauci described how it was "liberating" to work under the new president.

"I can tell you I take no pleasure at all in being in a situation of contradicting the president, so it was really something that you didn't feel you could actually say something and there wouldn't be any repercussions about it," Fauci said.

"The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the evidence and science is, and let the science speak—it is somewhat of a liberating feeling."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been contacted for comment.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more

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