President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that he has revoked the security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
On Friday, CNN reported that the 47th president revoked Fauci’s security detail on Thursday night, citing a source familiar with the president’s decision. The anonymous source told CNN that in light of potential threats due to Fauci’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci has hired his own private security detail following the president’s termination of his federally-funded security detail.
During Trump’s visit on Friday to Asheville, North Carolina, as part of a tour of the region devastated by Hurricane Helene, the president was asked about his decision to revoke Fauci’s security, which had been funded by the National Institutes of Health, according to CNN.
“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. “I think it’s very standard. If it would be for somebody else, you wouldn’t be asking the question.”
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Trump added, “We took some off other people, too, but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you worked for government.”
In response to Trump’s explanation, a reporter asked if the president would feel “partially responsible” if anything were to happen to Fauci or John Bolton, a former national security adviser who also had his security detail revoked by Trump this week.
“No. You know, they all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security too,” Trump said. “All the people you’re talking about, they can go out, I can give them some good numbers of very good security people. They can hire their own security. They all made a lot of money. Fauci made a lot of money. They all did.”
The president added, “Certainly I would not take responsibility.”
In addition to revoking Fauci’s security detail, Trump also revoked the security details for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Brian Hook this week.