On Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on “CBS This Morning” with host Gayle King to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the end of the approximately five-minute segment, King noted that according to reports, Fauci has had to be provided with security:
There are reports that you now have to have security. I was very sorry to hear that for you, and I’m wondering the personal pressure. Do you feel pressure to get this right? You are the most respected, the most admired – when you speak, we listen. I’m wondering how this has effected you personally.
Fauci replied:
You know, it’s my job. This is the life I’ve chosen, and I’m doing it. I mean, obviously there’s a lot of pressure. I would be foolish to deny that, but that’s what I do. I’ve been through crises like this before, dating back, you know, 37 years from the very beginning of the HIV epidemic. It’s a job to do, and we’ve just got to do it.
King concluded the segment by telling Fauci how popular he has become, and asking him how his family is reacting to the fame: “You’re on donuts, you’re on socks, you’re on mugs, there’s Fauci Friday, People Magazine, there’s a petition to make you sexiest man alive because people say brains are sexy.”
Fauci said that they’re attempting to ignore that, “and just focus on the responsibility and the job that we have.”
On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that security for Dr. Fauci has needed to be increased due to various “concerns,” including “threats as well as unwelcome communications from fervent admirers, according to people with knowledge of deliberations inside the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.”
Fauci wouldn’t elaborate about potential security concerns when asked during a Wednesday presser.
According to polls, Dr. Fauci is indeed highly respected as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to burn through the United States.
A recent Fox News poll showed that 77% of respondents “approve of the job Dr. Anthony Fauci is doing,” while just 12% disapprove. While poll numbers for the president and vice president were much more divided, the response to Fauci cuts across political demographics, with 74% of Democrats approving of Fauci’s handling of the crisis.
According to the latest Economist/YouGov poll, Dr. Fauci has a 57% “favorable” rating among those surveyed. This is broken down into 35% “very favorable” and 22% “somewhat favorable.”
Only 8% view Fauci unfavorably. That’s broken down into 6% “somewhat unfavorable” and 2% “very unfavorable.”
35% of respondents “don’t know.”
Additionally, a recent Zogby poll showed high approval for the way in which Dr. Fauci is handling the COVID-19 pandemic response at 73%. Broke down, 35% of respondents said Fauci is doing an “excellent” job, while 38% said he is doing a “good” job.
COVID-19, which originated in China’s Hubei province, has infected over 1,000,000 people worldwide, and led to more than 51,400 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map. 208,949 people have recovered.
In the United States, there have been more than 236,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and over 5,600 deaths. As of publication, 8,861 individuals have recovered from the virus.
The Daily Wire has reached out to the White House for comment about Dr. Fauci’s security detail.