Controversial former US health boss Dr. Anthony Fauci faces new challenges as President Donald Trump revokes his federally funded security protection.
This decision, part of a broader move affecting 51 other former top officials and Deep State operatives like Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, has reignited debates about security entitlements and accountability for public figures.
Trump defended the decision as “very standard,” stating that lifelong security funded by taxpayers is unwarranted for those who leave government service.
Fauci has faced death threats due to his controversial pandemic policies. Despite the threats, Trump maintained that officials like Fauci, who earned substantial salaries in their roles, should “hire their own security.”
“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.”
Fauci has reportedly hired private security at his own expense. His critics, including Senator Rand Paul, have supported the revocation, with Paul arguing it was time for Fauci to fund his own protection. Paul’s sentiment mirrors the frustration of many who blame Fauci for divisive and ineffective Covid-19 policies, including mask mandates and lockdowns, which drew widespread criticism from Republicans.
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 criticise Fauci as the government’s pandemic response and recommendations proved to be unpopular.
