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Dr. Anthony Fauci—the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases—said billionaire Elon Musk's attacks against him, which culminated in a recent transphobic tweet ridiculing the use of pronouns when Musk claimed his pronouns are "Prosecute/Fauci," amount to “merely a distraction.”
Fauci made the remark during an interview with CNN's David Axelrod, telling the commentator that Twitter—which has been riddled with scandals ever since Musk acquired the company in October—is little more than a "cesspool of interaction."
Fauci's comments prompted CNN anchor Erin Burnett to observe that Fauci's criticisms of Twitter as a social media platform are "pretty remarkable."
You can hear what Fauci said in the video below.
Hear Fauci's response to Elon Musk's attacksyoutu.be
Referring to Musk, Fauci said:
“I don’t respond to him."
“I don’t pay any attention to him because that’s merely a distraction."
“And if you get drawn into that and, I have to be honest, that cesspool of interaction, it’s … there’s no value added to that, David, it doesn’t help anything."
Musk is among the chorus of right-wing figures who have called for the prosecution of Fauci for the way he handled the response to the COVID-19 pandemic even as these same right-wing figures undermined the pandemic response by sharing conspiracy theories about the virus and treatments that contributed to the United States' high COVID death toll.
Many have praised Fauci's response while criticizing Musk further.
\u201cDr Anthony Fauci was dismissive of Elon Musk's attacks on him, calling him "merely a distraction" and labelling Twitter under Musk as "a cesspool of interaction." \nI thought it was impossible for me to like and respect Dr Fauci any more than I already do, but I was wrong.\u201d— Duty To Warn \ud83d\udd09 (@Duty To Warn \ud83d\udd09) 1670941988
\u201cFauci has done more for humanity than Elon Musk could dream of. Read his bio. The man has spent his entire life making things better.\u201d— Charles Johnson (@Charles Johnson) 1670896492
\u201cCNN's Erin Burnett described the top immunologist's characterization of Twitter as "pretty remarkable." Fauci called it a "cesspool of interaction." and Musk "a distraction." Like a buzzing fly. https://t.co/qzmWl2AsbW\u201d— Victoria Brownworth #NotLeavingThisBirdApp (@Victoria Brownworth #NotLeavingThisBirdApp) 1670943471
\u201cBless Dr. Fauci for not being distracted by the cesspool we are still on. Stay safe, sir, after the platform owner made you a target. https://t.co/CWaSaiDuFr\u201d— Barbara Malmet (@Barbara Malmet) 1670936911
\u201cI hope Anthony Fauci sues Elon Musk for every last cent he\u2019s worth.\u201d— Scribulatora (@Scribulatora) 1670839079
\u201cI\u2019ve yet to hear Dr. Anthony Fauci tell Elon Musk how to stop Teslas from catching on fire or run a tech company.\nProbably because it\u2019s not his area of expertise. \nElon on the other hand has yet to produce his medical degree.\u201d— Rhonda (@Rhonda) 1670832500
\u201cDr. Anthony Fauci is the best of humanity.\nElon Musk is the worst.\u201d— Charles Campisi (@Charles Campisi) 1670822041
\u201cElon Musk should be investigated for what he's doing on Twitter, for posting tweets putting the life of Dr. Anthony Fauci in danger.\nIt's time to call in the FBI, too.\u201d— Charles Campisi (@Charles Campisi) 1670813195
\u201cDr. Anthony Fauci is an exemplary public servant, outstanding medical professional & national hero who dedicated his life to protecting the health of Americans.\nElon Musk is a white supremacist who grew up in apartheid South Africa & who embraces/praises fascists & dictators.\u201d— Charles Campisi (@Charles Campisi) 1670785629
Fauci has long been the target of derision from conservatives and members of the Republican Party. Emboldened by conspiracy theories that alleged Fauci was at least partially responsible for the reason COVID-19 spread around the world, many have called for violence against him.
The White House this week condemned Musk's tweet criticizing Fauci. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Musk's attacks are "disgusting" and "divorced from reality."
Over the summer, Fauci announced he is stepping down from his roles at the end of this year after a long career of advising seven U.S. Presidents on multiple infectious disease threats, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, West Nile virus, bird flu and COVID-19.