Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a Wednesday interview that working alongside the Trump administration to combat the coronavirus in the U.S. has been "very stressful."
Why it matters: Although Fauci, who considers himself apolitical, is among the most trusted voices in the country on the coronavirus, he has faced attacks from Trump loyalists and the president himself, who recently called him a "disaster."
The big picture: Fauci's interview comes a week after former Trump administration chief strategist Steve Bannon suggested on his podcast that Fauci's and FBI Director Christopher Wray's heads should be put on pikes, per the Washington Post.
What he's saying: "When you have public figures like Bannon calling for your beheading, that's really kind of unusual," Fauci noted.
- "That’s not the kind of thing you think about when you’re going through medical school to become a physician."
- Fauci said he has gotten through the barrage of criticism by focusing "like a laser beam" on his objective as a scientist to develop vaccines.
- “If you focus on that and don’t get distracted by all the other noise, then it’s not as bad as you might think it is,” he said.
