President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that he has terminated the security detail provided to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the taxpayer’s expense.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requested security for Fauci in 2020 to protect him from threats he received as the top health official and public spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that detail was pulled on Thursday night, CNN first reported.
Trump was asked about the decision Friday while visiting Asheville, N.C., to tour areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.
‘I think, you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off and, you know, you can’t have them forever,’ Trump said.
‘We took some off other people too, but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government,’ he added.
Trump earlier revoked the security clearances of 51 intelligence officials who had wrongly claimed that Hunter Biden’s laptop had ‘all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation,’ as well as the details provided to former national security advisor John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Asked if he would feel partially responsible if something were to happen to Fauci or Bolton, Trump said he would not.
‘No. You know, they all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security,’ Trump said, adding that he knows several good security firms and ‘can give them some good numbers.’
‘Certainly I would not take responsibility,’ he said.
Former President Joe Biden offered a preemptive pardon to Fauci on his way out of office to shield him from Trump’s retribution. Though Trump had initially followed Fauci’s recommendations at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to criticize Fauci as the government’s pandemic response and recommendations proved to be unpopular.
Fauci served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022 and was the chief medical advisor to the president from 2021 to 2022. Trump awarded presidential commendations to Fauci and other members of Operation Warp Speed in 2021 for their work to quickly develop coronavirus vaccines.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
This story has been updated with additional information.