Anthony Fauci: the scientist defying Trump and gaining social media fans

As Covid-19 has turned daily life upside down, Dr Anthony Fauci has become a trusted voice in the US and around the world in separating facts and fiction.

But who is he? Well, here is the 411 on the world's most-talked about scientist right now.

Who is he? 

Fauci is the US director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

He became head of the organisation in 1984, when the HIV/Aids crisis was first peaking in the US.

According to a video from 1988, former president George W. Bush said Fauci was a man many young Americans should aspire to be like.

“You’ve probably never heard of him,” Bush said at the time “He’s a very fine researcher, top doctor at National Institute of Health, working hard at researching this disease of Aids.”

Accomplishments

According to NIAID, Fauci has won numerous awards.

In 1979, he won the Arthur S. Fleming Award, given to honour outstanding federal employees. He has also been awarded the Ernst Jung Prize (in 1995) and the Albany Medical Center Prize, the fourth-most lucrative prize in the world for medicine (in 2002).

In 2005, he won the American Association of Immunologists Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the National Medal of Science, which is presented to individuals who have made important contributions in science and engineering.

In 2008, Fauci was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Correcting Trump

As one of the scientists at the forefront of the US fight against the pandemic, Fauci is not shy to correct misinformation — even if it comes from the top.

The New York Times reported that Fauci currently works nearly 19 hours a day on the White House Coronavirus Task Force and has so far repeatedly stepped up to amend some of Trump's statements, who initially dismissed the coronavirus by comparing it to seasonal flu.

The publication reported that Trump said a “cure” might be possible. However, Fauci explained that antiviral drugs were being studied to see if they might make the illness less severe.

Fauci also dismissed Trump's statement on an anti-malaria drug being a “game-changer” in the race to find a coronavirus treatment, saying there was no scientific data to support the use of the drug.

Social media love

An “Anthony Fauci Fan Club” Twitter account has garnered over 15,000 followers in just the past few days.

Fauci's supporters and followers have also created Facebook fan clubs, TikTok videos, doughnuts, browser games and even prayer candles in celebration of the scientist leading the Trump administration’s coronavirus response.

Here's a snippet of what some of his supporters say about him.