Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top infectious disease expert, declared Monday that he will retire by the end of President Joe Biden’s current term in January 2025.
Fauci, 81, was appointed director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, and has led studies on HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika and coronavirus. He has been an adviser to seven US presidents.
In an interview with Politico, Fauci said, “I look forward to leaving an institution where I’ve handpicked the best professionals from across the country or maybe the world, people who will carry on my vision.”
Asked by on Monday if he plans to retire, Fauci said he has no specific date in mind and has not started the process. But he assured that he plans to leave the government by the end of Biden’s current term.
“By the time Biden’s first term is up, I’ll probably have retired,” Fauci said. He added that “it is very unlikely that I will be here beyond January 2025, in fact, I am sure of it.”
Fauci was the subject of controversy during the presidency of Donald Trump, who claimed the virus would “fade away on its own,” promoted bogus cures and railed against scientists who contradicted him.
In those days, Fauci received so many threats that it was necessary to have bodyguards for himself and his family.
He has testified several times before Congress and has clashed with some Republicans, particularly Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, over the origins of the new coronavirus.
Still, Fauci stressed Monday that his decision to retire had nothing to do with politics.
“It has nothing to do with the pressure, with all that nonsense you hear about, the insults, the darts and arrows. That doesn’t affect me at all,” she declared.
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