As Dr. Fauci prepares to exit, he reflects on his legacy and COVID decisions he would change - ABC News

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After 54 years astatine the National Institutes of Health and 38 years arsenic the manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci will beryllium stepping down from nationalist service astatine the extremity of the year.

"I person been driving onto that field each azygous day, each azygous play for the past 54 years," Fauci told ABC News' main Washington analogous and "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl successful an interrogation that aired Sunday. "So I don't adjacent privation to deliberation astir what it's going to beryllium similar erstwhile I thrust disconnected the field for the past clip ... That thought conscionable gives maine chills conscionable reasoning astir that."

In an intimate interrogation astatine his home, Fauci sat down with ABC News to speech astir his tenure successful nationalist service, the COVID-19 pandemic during which helium became possibly the country's astir celebrated doc and the controversies that person consumed the past 2 and a fractional years -- and sometimes ensnared him.

Fauci has lived successful the aforesaid location since 1977. Pictures bent adjacent to the banister stairwell, dozens of framed photos beryllium atop a bookshelf and the level is scuffed from years of use, the carpet worn down too. The mismatched reddish and brownish chairs successful the surviving country are cozy; connected 1 sits an overstuffed pillow that has Fauci's look connected 1 broadside and, connected the other, a punctuation speechmaking "'It is what it is.' - Anthony S. Fauci, M.D."

"You became an icon," Karl told him. "It was benignant of chaotic to see. There were Fauci bobbleheads. People had Fauci shirts that said 'In Fauci We Trust.' You became idiosyncratic the full state was turning to. What was that like?"

Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks to ABC News' Jonathan Karl successful an exclusive interrogation astatine his home.

"I was beauteous good known among my peers successful science, but surely not to the grade it is now," Fauci answered. "You know, I really deliberation some extremes, Jon, are aberrations of a reflection of the divisiveness successful our country."

As overmuch arsenic Fauci -- who served nether presidents of some parties arsenic a nonpartisan wellness authoritative -- was respected by many amid the pandemic, helium was lambasted and adjacent despised by others. Conservatives connected Capitol Hill person criticized his recommendations connected COIVD, called for investigations into him, he's received decease threats and astatine a rally conscionable days earlier the 2020 election, supporters of erstwhile President Donald Trump chanted "Fire Fauci! Fire Fauci!"

"When did it each get truthful political?" Karl asked.

"It got governmental very, precise quickly," Fauci responded. "Because we had the misfortune of an outbreak, and a treble misfortune of an outbreak successful a divided society, and the triple misfortune of a divided nine successful an predetermination year. I mean, you couldn't get much -- getting the cards stacked against you, than close there. It was a triple whammy."

Fauci said helium has remained dedicated to his work, contempt the threats of unit against him and his family.

"I look upon the country, successful galore respects, arsenic my patient," helium went connected to say. "And erstwhile you -- if you're a truly bully physician, you are acrophobic and interest astir each constituent of your patient."

"Including however your diligent is going to respond to thing you said?" Karl asked.

"Exactly," Fauci responded. "Exactly. And adjacent if the diligent is idiosyncratic who's not the astir charismatic idiosyncratic successful the satellite successful the consciousness of personality, you inactive got to dainty them the mode you would dainty anybody else. We learned that successful aesculapian school."

While Fauci said helium hasn't communicated with Trump since Trump near office, helium did praise the erstwhile medication connected Operation Warp Speed, the programme that developed the COVID-19 vaccines successful grounds time.

"Just arsenic helium takes the blasted for things successful the administration, helium should instrumentality the recognition for things successful the administration," Fauci said. "That was a affirmative thing, Operation Warp Speed. And they should instrumentality recognition for that."

COVID-19 has killed much than a cardinal Americans, a decease toll higher than immoderate warfare successful which the U.S. has fought. And Fauci was 1 of the faces of the government's response. For a time, helium appeared astir perpetually astatine White House briefings and successful the media to stock the government's latest, sometimes shifting, pandemic guidance.

"There were a batch of acheronian days, evidently a batch of deaths," Karl said. "Was determination a time that sticks retired to you oregon a clip play that sticks retired to you arsenic the darkest?"

"It wasn't a day," Fauci answered. "It was a period. I've trained a batch of Italian scientists successful my laboratory successful the arena of infectious diseases, galore of whom went backmost to Italy and were successful the epicenter of the bluish Italy catastrophe there."

"And erstwhile I got connected the telephone and heard them picture what was going connected successful the ward, wherever they were having radical packed up successful the hallways -- who they had to determine who to springiness a ventilator to, oregon who to instrumentality attraction of," Fauci aboriginal added. "I knew these people. So I knew what effect it would person connected them. And past I said, 'Whoa, we got a existent occupation here. We person a real, existent problem.'"

For months, cities were locked down. Schools successful galore areas were closed adjacent longer.

"Obviously, these are section decisions. But was it a mistake successful truthful galore states, successful truthful galore localities, to spot schools closed arsenic agelong arsenic they were?" Karl asked.

"I deliberation successful immoderate -- I don't privation to usage the connection 'mistake,' Jon, due to the fact that if I do, it gets taken retired of the discourse that you're asking maine the question on," Fauci said. "And I don't privation to bash that due to the fact that that's conscionable happened excessively galore times implicit the past years with me."

"Did we wage excessively precocious a price?" Karl pressed.

"Yeah, I would accidental that what we should realize, and person realized, that determination volition beryllium deleterious collateral consequences erstwhile you bash thing similar that," Fauci answered.

"That's the crushed wherefore I continually would accidental connected immoderate media appearances I've had: We've got to bash everything we tin to support the schools open," Fauci said. "The astir important happening is to support the children."

As the grounds connected however the microorganism changed, the aesculapian proposal changed, too. At the precise opening of the pandemic, Fauci told the nationalist that determination was nary request to deterioration masks. But that line was soon reversed.

"If you are existent to the information and the evidence, if thing is evolving, means it isn't the aforesaid arsenic it was earlier and truthful the information are going to let you to upgrade and update -- whether it's a recommendation, whether it's a guideline, whether it's the connection to the public," Fauci explained.

Examining the Federal Response," successful Hart Building, Sept. 14, 2022.

"Would you instrumentality backmost what you said astir masks?" Karl aboriginal asked.

"Yeah," Fauci answered. "I mean, sure, if I had to bash it implicit again. Of course. Again, if I archer you wherefore we did it, it would beryllium interpreted arsenic making an excuse, and I don't privation to spell determination due to the fact that that creates thing but backlash. If I had to bash it implicit again, I would person analyzed it a small spot better."

Fauci has been the nationalist starring adept connected infectious diseases longer than galore Americans person been alive. And for 38 years, helium hasn't adjacent changed desks, telling Karl with a laughter that helium "didn't privation to ruin taxpayers' money."

But arsenic helium reaches the last months of his tenure arsenic a nationalist servant, helium reflected connected however helium wants to beryllium remembered.

"I privation to beryllium remembered arsenic idiosyncratic who gave everything they had for the nationalist wellness of the American nationalist and indirectly for the remainder of the world, due to the fact that we're specified a person successful subject and nationalist health," Fauci said. "I mean, I conscionable privation radical to cognize that I gave it everything I had and didn't permission thing connected the field. I was each there."

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