Fauci Rails Against ‘Very Troublesome’ Political Climate in Exit Interview With Maddow: ‘A Complete Distortion of Reality’

Dr. Anthony Fauci, on his way out of public service after more than a half-century, is lashing out against the current political climate.

In his exit interview with Rachel Maddow Monday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was asked to address what the MSNBC host deemed a “weird, obsessive, violent, ongoing demonization” against him by conservatives.

“I just have to ask from your perspective if that kind of attention, this criticism feels qualitatively different to you than previous criticism,” Maddow said. “If it is coming from a different place, if it is indeed more dangerous than the kind of criticism you’ve had in the past.”

“It’s phenomenally, 100% different,” Fauci replied. “It’s apples and elephants difference. It really is.”

Fauci, who also serves as the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, cited the criticism he faced from AIDS activists — whom he said: “had a good foundation for their objections.” He then compared that to the current environment.

“What we’re dealing with now is just a distortion of reality, Rachel,” Fauci said. “I mean, conspiracy theories which don’t make any sense at all, pushing back on sound public health measures. Making it look like trying to save lives is encroaching on people’s freedom.”

Maddow went on to invoke the intense criticism Fauci has faced from the Right.

“Having been the target of this kind of really specific, really different attack, do you have insight into what we ought to do to protect public officials like yourself, and to try to be more rational about this stuff as a country?” Maddow asked.

“I wish I did have a positive, constructive answer for you, but I don’t,” Fauci replied. “I think you and I are talking about public health issues right now. But what has spilled over — and really, in many respects, impeded a proper response to a public health challenge — is something that we see that goes well beyond public health. It’s a complete distortion of reality. I mean, a world where untruths have almost become normalized. How we can see something in front of our very eyes and deny it’s happening? I mean, that’s the environment we’re living in.

“You could look at January 6th on TV, and you have some people who actually don’t believe it happened. How could that possibly be? And it’s now spilling over in denial about public health principles. So I wish I had an answer, but I don’t.”

Watch above via MSNBC.