The Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald said Anthony Fauci Anthony FauciOvernight Health Care: CDC reverses controversial testing guidance | Billions more could be needed for vaccine distribution | Study examines danger of in-flight COVID-19 transmission Trump claims enough COVID-19 vaccines will be ready for every American by April Gates says travel ban made COVID-19 worse in US MORE, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "got the angriest I've seen him in 35 years of watching him" after a CBS reporter asked if his answers about his relationship with President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE were "voluntary."

"Dr. Fauci got the angriest I've seen him in 35 years of watching him - going back to the AIDS epidemic - at the suggestion that he's saying and doing things he doesn't believe because he's forced to by Trump in order to keep his job," Greenwald wrote on Twitter.

Dr. Fauci got the angriest I've seen him in 35 years of watching him - going back to the AIDS epidemic - at the suggestion that he's saying and doing things he doesn't believe because he's forced to by Trump in order to keep his job:pic.twitter.com/KTU9lYs0nS — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 13, 2020

CBS White House correspondent Paula Reid asked Fauci the question at Monday's coronavirus task force briefing after he said it was a poor choice of words when he said in an earlier CNN interview that there had been pushback to some social distancing recommendations. He also in the CNN interview said lives could have been saved if social distancing had been put in place earlier.

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On Monday, Fauci opened the briefing by saying he had not meant for the statements to be critical.

"Are you doing this voluntarily or did the president or the vice president ask?" Reid later asked.

"Everything I do is voluntary. Please. Don't even imply that," the normally reserved Fauci retorted.

Fauci has served six administrations dating back to the Reagan administration as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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The back-and-forth came after the president retweeted a post from a supporter that included the hashtag #FireFauci.

The White House and the president said Monday they have no intention of firing the 79-year-old Fauci.

“The media chatter is ridiculous — President Trump is not firing Fauci,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement Monday.

Sen. Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeyDemocratic senator calls for eliminating filibuster, expanding Supreme Court if GOP fills vacancy McConnell says Trump nominee to replace Ginsburg will get Senate vote Massachusetts town clerk resigns after delays to primary vote count MORE (D-Mass.) said Tuesday he plans to introduce legislation to limit Trump's ability to fire Fauci.