White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday called Elon Musk’s attacks on Anthony Fauci, Joe Biden’s outgoing adviser on the COVID-19 pandemic, “incredibly dangerous”.
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The remarks of the wealthy boss of Twitter and Tesla are “revolting and disconnected from reality”, she added, following Elon Musk called for the immunologist to be prosecuted for alleged crimes in his public action.
“My pronouns are Inculpez/Fauci,” wrote the wealthy businessman, referring to the habit – abhorred by some of the American conservatives – that some Americans have of introducing themselves by indicating the pronouns corresponding to their identity as gender.
He also posted a meme showing Dr. Fauci saying to the US President, “Just another lockdown, my king,” in an apparent critique of this measure taken in the past to combat COVID-19.
This tweet quickly went viral and has already drawn a lot of criticism.
Republican lawmakers have threatened to go following Anthony Fauci when they take control of the House of Representatives from January, over Covid vaccines, mandatory mask-wearing and other pandemic-related measures .
Adviser to Republican President Donald Trump and then to Democrat Joe Biden, the scientist found himself at the heart of the sometimes extremely violent debate in the United States on how to respond to the pandemic.
He received death threats and was given police protection in the spring of 2020.
The 81-year-old immunologist is due to step down as presidential adviser on the pandemic this month. He will also leave before the end of the year his position as director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which he held for 38 years.