Trump pulls Fauci’s security, wishes him ‘nothing but peace’

“I think when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off, and you can’t have it forever, so I think it’s very standard," Trump said.

 Dr. Anthony Fauci (photo credit: STEFANI REYNOLDS/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Dr. Anthony Fauci
(photo credit: STEFANI REYNOLDS/POOL VIA REUTERS)

Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that he canceled Dr. Anthony Fauci’s government-funded security protection, US media reported. 

Fauci, an infectious disease expert, served on the White House coronavirus task force under Trump, was the chief medical adviser to Biden, and has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 until he retired in 2022. 

According to a New York Times report, a spokeswoman for the US Marshals Service said Fauci was protected first by federal marshals and later by a private contractor whose fees were paid by the government. 

At a Senate health committee hearing in 2022, Fauci accused Republican Senator Rand Paul of spreading misinformation regarding the pandemic and said it fueled threats against him and his family. 

"What happens when he (Paul) gets out and accuses me of things that are completely untrue is that all of a sudden, that kindles the crazies out there, and I have ... threats upon my life, harassment of my family and my children," said Fauci, adding that a person had been arrested in Iowa who was traveling from California to DC, allegedly to kill Fauci. 

 US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One before arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, January 27, 2025.  (credit: VIA REUTERS)Enlrage image
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One before arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, January 27, 2025. (credit: VIA REUTERS)

The New York TImes also reported that in May 2022, “a West Virginia man pleaded guilty to sending Dr. Fauci and other federal officials emails threatening to kill them and their families.”

Death threats received 

In an interview with Channel 13 News in May 2021, Fauci spoke of how he received death threats from the “anti-science” crowd. 

In a recent news conference where he was asked about pulling Fauci’s security, Trump said, “I think when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off, and you can’t have it forever, so I think it’s very standard.” 

Prior to leaving office, former US president Joe Biden issued a pre-emptive pardon for Fauci, as he was among people that Trump targeted for retaliation. 

Fauci has since hired private security, according to CNN. 


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Reuters contributed to this report.