A mural of Tony Fauci was meant to inspire staff. Then NIH took it down.

The mural of Anthony S. Fauci hung in the halls of the National Institutes of Health , greeting passersby with an inspirational quote from the retired official.

The quote was cut out of the mural in the first weeks of the Trump administration, three current NIH staffers said.

The move is of a piece with other recent actions that the new Trump administration has taken toward the longtime infectious-disease expert.

Fauci 's high profile proved to be two -sided as backlash to the nation’s covid response steadily grew.

Republicans such as Sen. Rand Paul ( Kentucky ) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to investigate and potentially prosecute him.

Other Americans grew frustrated with school shutdowns and other pandemic-era policies that remained in place for months or even years , sometimes with little evidence to support their implementation.

Some scientists, physicians and other experts who previously spoke up to defend Fauci demurred when approached by The Post .

Others said they were worried of drawing scrutiny from the Trump administration at a moment when NIH funding has been imperiled.

Regardless of the cause, there is now a notable divide in views between Democrats and Republicans , where he is scorned.