'That Doesn't Bother Me:' Dr. Anthony Fauci Responds To Concerns Over #FireFauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said that despite contradicting President Trump during various media appearances and the White House coronavirus briefings, he doesn’t believe he’s under any threat of being fired. Fauci spoke Monday about the possibility during an interview with C-SPAN, where he was asked about the hashtag "FireFauci" trending on Twitter over the weekend.

“You know, this is the world we live in. You’re going to see things like that all the time,” Fauci said. “Somebody didn’t like the way I answered. That’s it. That’s the world I live in. That doesn’t bother me.”

Trump offered his own reassurance during Monday’s White House briefing after his retweet of the hashtag sparked a cycle of outrage. Trump confirmed that Fauci was not under any threat of being sidelined during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Today I walk in and I hear I’m going to fire him,” Trump said during the briefing. “I’m not firing. I think he’s a wonderful guy.”

Fauci has been one of the government figures at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic, advising both Trump and the public on how to best deal with the viral outbreak. However, this has led to multiple instances of Fauci contradicting the talking points from the White House, including the questioning validity of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment and how long shelter-in-place orders should remain in effect.

Trump had retweeted a post from Republican DeAnna Lorraine, a conspiracy theorist who received just 1.8% of the vote in her primary bid on March 3 to unseat Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi in California's 12th District.

C-SPAN’s Steve Scully followed up by asking what could happen if Fauci was taken off the task force.

"It depends on what you mean by 'fire me,'" Fauci said. “He can remove me from the task force …. I was with him for a while today. He has no intention of doing that.”

Scully then took the chance to ask how Fauci was handling the ongoing situation within the White House and around the country. He mentioned the network has received “hundreds of emails” from viewers who asked about Fauci’s current state.

“I'm running on fumes, but the fumes are okay,” Fauci said. “When you ask me how I'm doing, it doesn't really matter. I'm doing fine.

“The people that we really need to tip our hats to are the brave people of our health delivery system. Risking their own health … by taking care of people that are critically ill. Those are the ones we should be worried about.”