As the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a trusted public health expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci is arguably the most reasonable, rational, and competent member of the White House’s coronavirus task force.

Since the Trump administration formed the task force, Dr. Fauci has offered a factual, scientific approach to tackling the spread of the disease—a direct counter to Trump’s endless lies in his daily coronavirus press briefings.

Although he has to walk a fine line with Trump in order to continue to serve the public, Dr. Fauci has been clear that the administration’s slow response to COVID-19 has been detrimental. In a CNN interview with Jake Tapper on April 12, Dr. Fauci said that a faster response to the virus could “obviously” have saved lives.

Trump did not like that. After the interview, Trump callously and childishly retweeted a post with the hashtag #FireFauci—which the White House later tried to pretend wasn’t about Dr. Fauci at all.

Later, Dr. Fauci addressed the CNN interview, saying that he was answering a hypothetical and didn’t intend to suggest fault—but it’s no secret that Trump is swift to cut ties with anyone who tells the truth. Dr. Fauci’s job may still be in serious jeopardy.

We need Dr. Fauci at the helm of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases more than ever. His expertise in this time of national and global crisis cannot be taken for granted.

Sign the petition: Dr. Fauci is saving lives. Trump must not fire him.