Fauci says he won’t work with Trump if he’s elected in 2024 and said the former president’s COVID-19 response ‘wasn’t optimal’

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White House Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that if former President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he would not stay in the role. 

CNN’s Jim Acosta asked Fauci whether or not he had faith in Trump’s ability to deal with the pandemic and if he would continue his job under a Trump presidency.

“Well, no, to the second question” Fauci, who is currently serving as a chief medical adviser under President Joe Biden, told Acosta. 

“The first question, if you look at the history of what the response was during the administration, I think at best you could say it wasn’t optimal,” Fauci said. “And I think just history will speak for itself about that.”

Fauci and Trump’s relationship during the pandemic had been publicly rocky. Trump repeatedly diminished and discredited Fauci’s pandemic guidance and called for him to be fired.

Fauci accused Trump of harassing him after taking his statements out of context for a campaign ad and for misleading the public with false statements on COVID-19. 

Fauci described his time under Trump as “somewhat awkward.”

Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.