Fauci landed a digital cover of InStyle magazine, along with a lengthy, if somewhat self-congratulatory, interview. “With all due modesty, I think I’m pretty effective,” the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said, as US Covid infection numbers continue to break records.

Presented as a casual conversation about the pandemic, the interview also veered into topics like Fauci’s love of “power walking,” his three children and home life with his wife. He also took the opportunity to assure readers that his relationship with President Donald Trump was “collegial” despite rumors that the pair clashed — particularly after one of Trump's top advisers penned a USA Today op-ed this week claiming the top doctor had been “wrong about everything” during the pandemic.

Many on Twitter were less concerned with the political infighting, however, and more irritated by the lighthearted tone of the piece in the midst of a massive health crisis. One even compared it to a satirical article in The Onion.

The cover photo accompanying the piece grabbed even more attention than the contents of the interview. Fauci is shown chilling out in a relaxed pose beside his home pool, wearing sunglasses and a shirt with rolled-up sleeves.

“Not a great look to be posing poolside during a pandemic and probable [economic] depression,” one person said of the risky optics.