President Donald Trump on Friday said he would not feel responsible if something happens to Dr. Anthony Fauci, his former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director, or John Bolton, his former national security adviser, after he pulled their security details.
Reporter: “Would you feel partially responsible if something were to happen to … Dr. Fauci or John Bolton?”
Trump: “No. No.”
“I think, you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off,” the president continued during a briefing in North Carolina, where he surveyed Hurricane Helene damage. “You can’t have them forever. So, I think it’s very standard. If it would be for somebody else, you wouldn’t be asking the question.”
Trump in recent days has pulled Secret Service security for several members of his first administration who have since turned into critics of him — Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — despite them citing the need for security due to threats from Iran. Trump on Thursday night also ended Fauci’s security detail. Fauci, who has faced threats from anti-vaccine advocates and people furious with COVID-19 pandemic-era restrictions, will pay for his own security, CNN reported.
“They all made a lot of money — they can hire their own security, too,” Trump said. “I can give them some good numbers of very good security people.”
“Certainly I would not take responsibility,” he added.
