During an interview with ABC podcast “Start Here,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, hinted at plans to retire in the future if COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases remain low.

“I have said that I would stay in what I’m doing until we get out of the pandemic phase and I think we might be there already,” Fauci told host Brad Mielke. “If we can stay in this, then we’re at a point where I feel that we are done with this, but I don’t have any plans right now to go away, but you never know.”

When asked if retirement or stepping back were options he was considering, Fauci replied, “I certainly have, because I have to do it sometime. I can’t stay at this job forever unless my staff find me slumped over at my desk one day. I’d rather not do that.”

According to The Washington Examiner, “At 81 years old, Fauci has served as a public health expert in various capacities for more than 50 years and has advised every president since Ronald Reagan. He currently holds the post of chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and has been a public fixture since the pandemic began more than two years ago.”

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci has been particularly controversial due to his inconsistent recommendations and apparent political motivations. For example, last summer Fauci lashed out at Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) during a congressional hearing after Paul cited previous statements made by Fauci in front of Congress about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic that turned out to be false.

In February 2020, Fauci – who has publicly recommended masks and mask mandates – privately told one of his close associates that he did not recommend wearing a face mask. In a March 8 interview on “60 Minutes,” Fauci made similar comments. He insisted that “There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask,” adding that “it could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.”