Dr. Robert Malone: Fauci retirement 'driven by the polls and the upcoming election'

Dr. Robert Malone suspects that Dr. Anthony Fauci's decision to step down from his high-profile roles at the pinnacle of the federal public health establishment is due to his sagging popularity ahead of the November midterms. 

"There's clearly some major turbulence going on within HHS right now," the mRNA vaccine pioneer-turned critic said in an interview on the "Just the News, Not Noise" television show. "I suspect it's driven by the polls and the upcoming election."

Fauci announced on Aug. 22 that he would be stepping down from his duties as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief White House medical adviser at the end of the year and entering a new chapter in his life. 

"I found that fascinating," Malone told cohosts John Solomon and Amanda Head. "It was totally unexpected, I think, by any of us. And of course, there's been no hints — other than Fauci suggesting that he's going to work on his books and do what he can to mentor other young young scientists and promote the development of science and the enterprise."

Fauci has served as NIAID director since Ronald Reagan's first term as president.

Malone is skeptical that the U.S. can vaccinate its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It appears that the majority of us have had our coronavirus infections, have developed natural immunity, it's relatively protective" Malone said. "The virus seems to be evolving to be less pathogenic, but more infectious — a normal pathway. And I don't have a good crystal ball right now, but I as a vaccinologist, I've always been wary that we were going to succeed in developing a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine."

Fauci admitted last month that the COVID vaccines don't protect "overly well" against COVID.