WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci said he plans to retire by the end of President Joe Biden's term, ending decades of federal service capped with a pandemic.
Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, told Politico of the timeline in an interview published Monday and later confirmed it to CNN.
"By the time we get to the end of Biden's first term, I will very likely (retire)," Fauci said according to CNN. He said he doesn't have a specific date in mind and hasn't started the process of retiring. Biden's term ends in January 2025.
Fauci, 81, has been the face of the White House's response to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. He is Biden’s chief medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which he has led since 1984. He was also a leading member of the COVID-19 task force in former President Donald Trump's White House.
He told Politico he doesn't plan to stay in his position until COVID-19 is eradicated.
“We’re in a pattern now," Fauci said. "If somebody says, 'You’ll leave when we don’t have COVID anymore,' then I will be 105. I think we’re going to be living with this."
Fauci told Politico he's prepared for potential attacks from a Republican-controlled House or Senate next year, but that it's not part of any retirement plans.
“They’re going to try and come after me, anyway. I mean, probably less so if I’m not in the job,” he said. “I don’t make that a consideration in my career decision.”
