Top US Covid-19 adviser Anthony Fauci expects to retire by end of Joe Biden’s current term
- The doctor has been the face of the US pandemic response, a role that put him in conflict with Trump and drew him and his family harassment and death threats
- Fauci, 81, was appointed director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, and has also led research on HIV, Ebola and Zika
Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top infectious disease expert, said on Monday he plans to retire by the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January 2025.
Fauci, 81, was appointed director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, and has led research in HIV/Aids, respiratory infections, Ebola, Zika and the coronavirus. He has advised seven presidents and is Biden’s chief medical adviser.
In an interview with Politico, Fauci said he hoped to “leave behind an institution where I have picked the best people in the country, if not the world, who will continue my vision”.
Asked on Monday on CNN when he planned to retire, Fauci said he does not have a specific retirement date in mind and has not started the process. He said he expects to leave government before the end of Biden’s current term, which ends in January 2025.
“By the time we get to the end of Biden’s first term, I will very likely [retire],” Fauci said.
He added: “it is extremely unlikely – in fact, for sure – that I am not going to be here beyond January 2025”.