In an interview with reporters on Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that billionaire Elon Musk’s public condemnation of top U.S. health official Anthony Fauci was both “dangerous” and “disgusting” and must be addressed.
Over the weekend, Musk tweeted: “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci.” The tweet quickly became viral, and Musk followed up with another tweet that read, “Truth resonates.”
My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 11, 2022
On Monday, Jean-Pierre said the tweets “are disgusting, and they are divorced from reality, and we will continue to call that out and be very clear about that.” Following this, she praised Fauci for his handling of public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is reported that Fauci will retire in Dec. as President Biden’s top medical adviser and chief U.S. infectious diseases official. He has dealt with many challenging questions surrounding health crises around the world, from HIV/AIDS to avian flu and Ebola, during his time as a top official. He has served as an adviser to seven presidents of the United States, beginning with the Republican Ronald Reagan, and has been involved in public service for over 50 years.
Over 1 million COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in the United States. There is virtually no doubt that his handling of COVID – and the questionable remarks he made from the White House podium regarding the need for Americans to change their behavior in light of the pandemic – made him a hero to the left and an antagonist to some on the right.
Fauci has stated in the past that he has received death threats. Trump has criticized him as well as several conservatives who objected to safeguards that he advocated, such as vaccinations, social distancing, and masking. He claimed these safeguards were necessary. As a result of this, the Republicans have indicated they intend to investigate Fauci for the information that he provided concerning COVID-19 in the upcoming Congress.
