DeSantis blasts 'little elf' Fauci: 'Chuck him across the Potomac'

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Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called Dr. Anthony Fauci a "little elf" during a Wednesday speech and said that someone needs to "chuck him across the Potomac."

"I'm just sick of seeing him. I know he says he's going to retire. Someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac," he said.

DeSantis made the comment during a Florida GOP "Keep Florida Free" event in Seminole County.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as well as President Biden's chief medical adviser, announced Monday that he will be stepping down in December.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI TO STEP DOWN IN DECEMBER

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the media in Miami on April 8, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

"I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden," Fauci said. "I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career."

Fauci stressed in the statement that he is not "retiring" but rather "moving on from my current positions."

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Nov. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

"I want to use what I have learned as NIAID Director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats," Fauci said.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.