Meghan McCain faces backlash after calling for Dr. Fauci's firing, complaining about vaccine rollout

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Meghan McCain is facing backlash after she called for the firing of Dr. Anthony Fauci because she hadn't received the COVID-19 vaccine.

During Monday’s episode of "The View," McCain shared how "frustrated" she is with Dr. Fauci following his appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union." McCain played a brief segment of his interview with CNN's Dana Bash, during which Fauci declined to recommend whether vaccinated grandparents are safe to see their unvaccinated grandchildren yet.

"There will be recommendations coming out. I don’t want to be making a recommendation now on public TV," said Fauci, the Biden administration's top health adviser. "I would want to sit down with the team and take a look at that."

On Monday, McCain, 36, said the fact that Fauci "can’t tell me that if I get the vaccine, if I’ll be able to have dinner with my family" is "terribly inconsistent messaging."

Although she wants "to be responsible and obviously wait my turn," McCain called the rollout a "disaster" and suggested that she should've already been vaccinated.

"The fact that I, Meghan McCain, co-host of 'The View,' don’t know when or how I will be able to get a vaccine because the rollout for my age range and my health is so nebulous, I have no idea when and how I get it,” McCain said. "I want to get it. If you call me at three o’clock in the morning, I will go any place at any time to get it.”

Joy Behar says she 'did not miss' co-host Meghan McCain following 'The View' clash

The daughter of late Sen. John McCain returned to the "The View" in January after taking three months off from hosting duties following the birth of her daughter, Liberty.

She continued: "I, for one, would like something to look forward to and to hope for because if getting the vaccine means that just nothing changes and we have to wait another few years until everyone gets it, there’s already a lot of people not getting it."

McCain stuck by her criticisms Tuesday morning via Twitter, calling Fauci's messaging "incredibly inconsistent and confusing."

"I voiced my frustration honestly... I represent the feelings of many Americans," she wrote. "I also believe sainting our public figures to infallibility is dangerous and irrational."

She also responded to Twitter user @VinGuptaMD's message that read: "So misguided to see people like @MeghanMcCain calling for the replacement of Dr Fauci."

"He told me not to wear a mask and that masks don’t work when I was 3 months pregnant in the middle of Manhattan. He then later admitted it was an intentional lie so we would donate masks to essential workers. Now I’m being told to wear 2 masks," she wrote. "But yes I’m 'misguided.'"

In February 2020, when news of COVID-19 was just beginning to hit the United States, Fauci told USA TODAY, "Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask," adding at that time the danger of COVID-19 was "just minuscule."

He still encouraged people to take other precautionary measures for the seasonal flu, which would also help protect against potential coronavirus threats: "Wash your hands as frequently as you can. Stay away from crowded places where people are coughing and sneezing. If in fact you are coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth," he said.

By April 2020, health authorities changed their position on the widespread use of mask, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending the general public wear non-medical, cloth masks in public places to help blunt the spread of the virus. The move came after new research highlighted a significant number of people who were not showing symptoms were spreading the virus.

McCain calls for Fauci's firing

Although McCain admitted that former President Donald Trump was also to blame for the vaccine rollout, the "View" co-host declared that she's officially "over Dr. Fauci."

She suggested President Biden replace Fauci with someone that "does understand science."

"I think we need to have more people giving more opinions," she said. "I think the Biden administration should remove him and put someone in place that maybe does understand science or can talk like these other countries about how we can be more like these other places that are doing this successfully."

Later Monday, McCain doubled down on her views on Twitter.

"Many of you can keep worshiping at the alter of Fauchi ," she tweeted. "I’m not a phony - i will not go on tv and lie saying one thing privately and another on air. This is my opinion. We need someone else in charge of coronavirus messaging and leadership."

Co-host slammed for 'privilege' and 'nepotism'

McCain faced swift backlash for her remarks, which many social media users labeled "privileged," "nepotism" and "entitled." Some even called for her to be fired from ABC.

"500k people died and all @MeghanMcCain can talk about is herself, her privilege and her last name," tweeted @ChrisMarius.

User @theresiak1 added: "#TheView @ABC It's time to FIRE MEGHAN MCCAIN… what a self serving entitled (expletive). Many are waiting to get vaccines. Older and more fragile in many ways. Enough with her shtick. It's obscene and insulting to anyone with a modicum of intelligence and morals."

User @MrErnestOwnes called McCain's remarks "tone-deaf," adding, "I got a better idea. @ABC , fire McCain for her bratty sense of entitlement."

Others noted that McCain is not an essential worker.

"@MeghanMcCain you are not essential my dear so wait in line like everyone else. Your privilege is glaring right now," tweeted @terikateB. User @diddy94404 added: "Nepotism isn't exactly an 'essential worker.'"

'The View' co-host Sunny Hostin reveals her parents-in-law died of COVID-19 three days apart

What are McCain's co-stars saying?

Whoopi Goldberg threw to commercial break after McCain's controversial remarks.

Sunny Hostin, who lost both of her parents-in-law to COVID-19 within three days of each other recently, said Monday: "As Americans, we need to stop disparaging scientists and questioning scientists, and my God, follow the science. And then we would all be in a much better place."

Hostin added that Americans are "angry" and have "vaccine envy" because the Trump administration didn’t handle this correctly."

Co-host Sara Haines said she's "grateful for people like Dr. Fauci" because "I’d rather get the answer right than get it fast." She added, "This is a pandemic, and they’re learning on the job."

Behar said she's receiving her second vaccination this week.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Meghan McCain faces backlash after calling for Dr. Fauci to be fired