Dr. Fauci and his wife open up for a special digital cover of InStyle magazine
- Dr. Anthony Fauci is featured as "The Good Doctor" on the digital cover of InStyle magazine.
- Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, spoke to InStyle about the pandemic, how he's staying fit and sane, and what it's like working with the White House.
The nation's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on the digital cover of InStyle magazine.
The feature is titled "The Good Doctor," and Fauci and his wife, bioethicist Dr. Christine Grady, spoke to the magazine about "the on-going battle against COVID-19, Fauci's at times contentious relationship with the White House, and how he's staying sane," the Instagram post explained.
In his interview with CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell, writing for InStyle, the doctor emphasized that in order to keep up with the demands of his job, he and his wife make sure they stay healthy.
"Well, I make exercise a significant part of my regimen. Christine and I put in 3.5 miles of power walking every day. I used to say 'run,' but I don't run very much anymore because at the end of the run, various parts of my body hurt so much. Power walking is very enjoyable and relaxing, and we look forward to it. I must say, Chris is always ahead of me because she's faster and in better shape," Fauci said.
He also reiterated his stance that if the US does not get control of the outbreak, it could continue to see more reported daily cases — even up to 100,000 a day.
"I don't like to phrase it in the context of what we've done wrong, as opposed to let's take a look at what happened and maybe we can have lessons learned. We never got it down to baseline for a number of reasons. Perhaps it was the lack of compliance of people in the country or the kinds of restrictions that we felt would be appropriate," Fauci said on why cases in the US continue to rise.
Fauci also acknowledged that depending on the week or month and what he says, he may be seen as a "persona non grata" in the White House.
He added that he sees a time where he may leave his position on the White House coronavirus task force.
"Well, I see myself in that role as long as I feel that I'm being useful, and I'm valued in it, and the White House wants me. If any of the above change, then I would step down," Fauci told the magazine.
Earlier this week, White House aides including President Donald Trump's trade adviser, Peter Navarro tried to discredit Fauci.
Business Insider's Sonam Sheth and Eliza Relman reported that Fauci called their efforts "a bit bizarre" and said he was unsure why Trump refused to be briefed for several weeks an interview with The Atlantic.
The infectious disease expert, who has over 35 years of experience and worked under six administrations, has consistently advocated for tighter regulations including the usage of masks, shutdowns, and physical distancing contrary to efforts by Trump's administration to push reopening the economy.
However, he doesn't envision stepping down from his role as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"I don't see any termination within the near future because I judge [my career] by my energy and my effectiveness," he said, to InStyle. "And right now, with all due modesty, I think I'm pretty effective. I certainly am energetic. And I think everybody thinks I'm doing more than an outstanding job. I have a wife with incredibly good judgment, who will probably give me the signal when it's time to step down. But I don't think we're anywhere near that right now."