The hosts of The View shared their gratitude for Dr. Anthony Fauci during his appearance on Thursday to promote his new book.
The interview segment started with a heartfelt introduction from co-host Whoopi Goldberg.
“In his new memoir, On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service, Dr. Anthony Fauci takes you through his 54 years with the National Institute of Health, taking on terrifying global hazards like the AIDS crisis and being an authority we could trust in D.C. amid the chaos of COVID. Please welcome, finally, to The View Dr. Anthony Fauci,” Goldberg said, introducing the doctor.
As Fauci walked out from backstage, he was greeted by a cheering audience and host Joy Behar wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug.
Host Sara Haines then begged him for a hug, saying, “Can I hug you too?”
“Yes,” Fauci said before he sat down.
“Thank you for all you’ve done,” Haines added after hugging him.
Goldberg shared the excitement of his presence in the room.
“Before we start … people are so glad to see you,” she said, which encouraged the audience to cheer and applaud him again.
“Thank you,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you for coming on the show and for everything, everything you’ve done from the very beginning. It’s extraordinary,” Goldberg praised him. “And you’re no worse for wear. You look good.”
She went on to ask him about his favorite Latin phrase that gets him through tough times, illegitimi non carborundum, which means “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” She then complimented him as one of the “classiest people I’ve ever watched move around in Washington, D.C.”
Goldberg wrapped her effusive praise to him by grabbing her hair with both hands and saying, “You know, I just want to raise my dreads to you.”
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked him if he ever expected the “backlash” that he experienced from working on the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No, it was really unexpected,” the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said to the panel.
He explained that he’s advised both Democratic and Republican presidents and expected disagreements but was worried by the “vitriol” and “social order of the democracy.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin shared with Fauci that her husband lost both parents during the pandemic and that she blamed former President Donald Trump for her in-laws’ death. She asked him about his frustration over the former president choosing not to wear a mask.
Fauci said he felt Trump’s refusal to wear a mask was a “missed opportunity.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I remember telling him he looked cool in the masks, hoping he would wear it, and it didn’t do it,” Farah Griffin told Fauci about a conversation she had with Trump while working in the White House.
The show concluded with all of the hosts thanking Fauci for his public service despite the detractors.