Trump cancels Dr. Anthony Fauci's security detail: 'You can't have them forever'

President Donald Trump announced Friday he had cancelled federal security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Disease.

“When you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off,” Trump told reporters during a press briefing in Fletcher, N.C. “You can’t have them forever.”

Trump said the security detail for the 84-year-old immunologist and former chief medical adviser to former President Joe Biden was removed Thursday because it can’t last a lifetime and Fauci could hire his own protection.

A doctor for the National Institutes of Health for more than half a century, Fauci led the federal health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to harsh criticism from Republicans about studies of the origin of the disease and the lockdowns to combat it during the first year.

Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, leaves the Rayburn House Office Building after testifying in front of the House Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on June 3, 2024 in Washington.
Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, leaves the Rayburn House Office Building after testifying in front of the House Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on June 3, 2024 in Washington.

On Friday, sources close to the situation confirmed to USA TODAY that Fauci’s security detail has been canceled, and going forward, Fauci will pay for his own security detail.

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A spokesperson for Fauci declined to comment on Trump's move.

Fauci previously said he and his family have received threats throughout the pandemic, including death threats.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, takes part in a hearing for the House Oversight and Reform Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 3, 2024.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, takes part in a hearing for the House Oversight and Reform Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 3, 2024.

Republicans accused Fauci of helping to fund Chinese efforts

Before Trump took office on Monday as the 47th president of the United States, Biden issued blanket preemptive pardons for Fauci and other potential targets of the incoming president to shield them from criminal prosecution.

At a contentious hearing this summer over the COVID-19 response, Republicans accused him of helping fund Chinese government efforts to create the virus, hiding medical data about the pandemic and making up U.S. guidelines, all of which Fauci said was not true.

At the same hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., refused to call Fauci “doctor” and said he “deserves to be in prison” before being escorted out of the chamber.

Who else lost federal security details?

Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, and secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, also lost their security details during the first week of his administration.

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“They all made a lot of money, they can hire their own security, too,” Trump said.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump strips Anthony Fauci of government protection