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Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Photo by NIAID/Flickr

‘Delusional’ Trump targets Dr. Anthony Fauci after health expert’s pandemic-driven net worth boost

Guess he forgot he was the one who awarded presidential commendations to Fauci during his first term.

Since announcing his departure as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in August 2022, Dr. Anthony Fauci has largely stayed out of the spotlight. However, due to the controversy surrounding his leadership at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, he continues to receive threats against his life and his family. As such, he was being provided security detail for protection until recently, when Donald Trump was sworn to the presidency for the second time. 

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In a move described by CNN as an act of retribution, Trump yanked Fauci’s security detail on Jan. 23, which was formerly provided and paid for by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A source told the outlet that because of this, Fauci is now forced to pay for the service out of his own pocket. 

“I think you know when you work for government … at some point, your security detail comes off, and you know, you can’t have them forever,” Trump reportedly said the day after the service termination while checking the storm damage in North Carolina. He also told reporters that he wouldn’t be responsible if anything were to happen to Fauci moving forward. 

Trump’s move targeting Fauci has piqued interest in the medical expert’s wealth, considering that he’s able to afford his own security detail. For someone who was in public service for 40 years, Fauci has earned his stripes and his fortune. But it’s also hard to ignore the fact that he was one of the biggest earners in the middle of the global public health crisis five years ago. 

In 2018, two years before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci was reportedly earning $399,625. In 2020, when the viral disease wreaked havoc in the country and other parts of the world, Fauci saw a significant boost in his income as he was paid $434,312 in 2020, becoming the highest-paid federal employee that year alone, as per Fox News

Fauci’s investments also grew significantly in the same period, with his 2021 investments amounting to $12.6 million — a big jump from $7.5 million in 2019. When he retired in December 2022, Fauci’s net worth was estimated at $11 million. Fox News reported that Fauci had pocketed generous rewards from nonprofits during the pandemic, especially when he defended science against Trump and his first administration. 

When Trump ended his first term, and former President Joe Biden stepped in, it seemed things went Fauci’s way since he became the highest-paid federal employee. At some point, he was earning much more than Biden. His wife, Christine Grady, also reaped the same benefits based on data retrieved and analyzed by the outlet. Grady was paid $238,970 in 2021 as the NIH chief bioethicist. Her investments also reached $2.4 million. 

Considering the wealth he and his wife built in a short period, there’s no denying that Fauci is capable of paying for his security detail. High-profile ones reportedly start at $300 per hour, according to Times Now World. Fauci’s yearly federal pension is over $350,000. So, he has more than enough to keep the service going even without relying on public funding. 

What’s embarrassing about Trump’s alleged revenge against Fauci is he appears to have forgotten that he was the one responsible for awarding presidential commendations to Fauci and 51 other people during the pandemic and before his first term as president ended in January 2021. But for someone dubbed “delusional” by the press for years, this doesn’t come as a shock.


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