(The hill) – President Trump on Friday defended the removal of Dr. Anthony Fauci and suggested that former government officials should not be kept in security indefinitely, even as Fauci and others whose protections were cut this week faced threats.
“When you work for the government, at some point you run into problems with security guards. And you know, you can’t have them forever. So I think it’s very normal,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina.
Asked whether he would feel responsible if something happened to Fauci, Trump said he would not, adding that Fauci and others could hire private security.
“You know, they all made a lot of money. They can also hire their own security forces,” Trump said. “Certainly I wouldn’t take responsibility.”
Fauci declined to comment on Trump’s comments.
The New York Times first reported that Trump terminated Fauci’s safety briefings provided by the National Institutes of Health.
Sources familiar with the situation confirmed to The Hill that Fauci’s security detail was abruptly terminated Thursday evening and that he would be paying for his own security going forward.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said on social media tardy Thursday that he had sent “supportive information about ending 24-hour limousine and security for Fauci.”
“I wish him nothing but peace, but he has to pay for his own limousines,” Paul wrote on X.
Fauci was the government’s top infectious disease expert for decades. During his first term, he was at times critical of Trump over his comments on the coronavirus pandemic and came under intense scrutiny from Republicans. The doctor was there too attacked with death threats.
Former President Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci on his final day in office, citing concerns about a politically motivated investigation into the doctor.
Trump had already requested that security details be dropped for former national security adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former State Department official Brian Hook. All three were granted additional protection due to the threats against them from Iran.
Bolton, in particular, has become an outspoken critic of Trump. Pompeo briefly mused about a presidential run in 2024 and at times offered vague criticism of his former boss, although he supported Trump in 2024 and sharply criticized Democrats.
