Slaoui confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday that he submitted his resignation letter to the Trump administration on Tuesday. It will be held for 30 days to “ensure a smooth transition,” a Biden transition official told CNN.
Slaoui said in a call to reporters last week that he had been in contact with the Biden administration and that he had been asked to become a consultant when the transition took place, which he agreed to, according to reports. previously CNN.
It is common for a political nominee like Slaoui to step down as part of the transition from one administration to another. It was not immediately clear whether the Biden administration plans to appoint a successor.
During his appearance on CNBC, Slaoui announced the success of Operation Warp Speed in obtaining two vaccines authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and said it was always his intention to return to private life once achieved. He said he decided to “extend” his “mandate to support the new team as it arrives.”
“As you know, I am very much a part of this next administration and really, of course, of the operation and its mission and I will do everything I can to help them succeed,” Slaoui said.
Slaoui said he would continue to support Operation Warp Speed leadership “in every way possible” and expressed “hope and confidence” in the Biden administration’s ability to take on the country’s vaccination effort.
It is unclear whether General Gustave Perna, Chief of Operations for Operation Warp Speed, will continue in his role.