Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the coronavirus response in the U.S., has been assigned a security detail due to growing threats to his personal safety, according to reports.
The U.S. Marshals Service was reportedly asked by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide protective services to Fauci, while a Justice Department official authorized HHS on Tuesday to provide its own security detail to him, a Trump administration official told The Washington Post.
HHS reportedly grew worried about Fauci’s safety and believed a security detail was necessary — as he’s gained national prominence resulting in him being a target of criticism online, the paper reported. The doctor also has reportedly attracted a legion of passionate fans who approach him seeking autographs and offering praise.
CORONAVIRUS DEATHS TOP 4,000 IN US, SURPASS CHINA
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus at the White House, April 1, 2020, as Vice President Mike Pence listens. (Associated Press)
It’s not clear what type of threats were made against him.
Fauci, 79, stood beside President Trump on Tuesday as they delivered a briefing on the rising coronavirus death toll in the U.S., projecting 100,000 to 240,000 fatalities from the virus in the U.S. and millions infected.
While Fauci has been seen correcting Trump on certain occasions, the two have downplayed talk of a rift. In the briefing, Trump discussed how “everybody loves” Fauci.
“He doesn’t need security. Everybody loves him,” Trump said, according to The Hill. “Besides that, they’d be in big trouble if they ever attacked him.”
Fauci is an appointed member of the White House coronavirus task force and is considered the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases. He’s leading the administration’s efforts to monitor, contain and mitigate the spread of the virus while making sure the American people have up-to-date health and travel information, according to the White House.
He’s been on the front lines relaying the dangers of the virus, and calling for social distancing — even when cases were at just 1,000 in the U.S.
“We would like the country to realize that as a nation, we can’t be doing the kinds of things we were doing a few months ago,” Fauci said early last month.
Some critics have voiced concern about occasions when Fauci has appeared to contradict the president, according to The Hill.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
When asked about the security detail, Fauci said, “I would have to refer you to HHS on that. I wouldn’t comment,” per The Washington Post.
