Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, is breaking his silence on reports suggesting President Donald Trump is trying to discredit him.
Fauci sat down with The Atlantic for an exclusive interview where he explained attempts from the White House to discredit him are only hurting the Trump administration.
He called the attempts “a bit bizarre.”
Fauci believes those involved in trying to discredit him are now realizing it was a mistake.
“I think if you talk to reasonable people in the White House, they realize that was a major mistake on their part, because it doesn’t do anything but reflect poorly on them. And I don’t think that that was their intention,” Fauci said.
Fauci told The Atlantic Peter Navarro, director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, is in “a world by himself.”
Navarro penned an op-ed published by USA Today slamming Fauci for his response to the coronavirus outbreak, as IJR previously reported.
He wrote Fauci has “been wrong about everything.”
The White House later separated itself from Navarro’s op-ed, as IJR previously reported.
Alyssa Farah, White House Director of Strategic Communications, said Navarro’s op-ed is “the opinion of Peter alone.”
The Atlantic asked Fauci about what he told White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Monday.
According to Fauci, he told Meadows the efforts to discredit him does more harm to Trump than good.
“I said that that was not particularly a good thing to do. Ultimately, it hurts the president to do that,” Fauci said.
He added, “When the staff lets out something like that and the entire scientific and press community push back on it, it ultimately hurts the president. And I don’t really want to hurt the president. But that’s what’s happening.”
Fauci said he has not thought about resigning and he is “going to keep doing it.”
The Atlantic noted reports of the Trump administration trying to cut back on Fauci’s TV interviews.
During a previous interview, Fauci told The Financial Times he believes his refusal to sugar-coat things may be the reason why he has not been making television appearances.
Fauci said he has not had a one-on-one talk with Trump in a while.
He was asked if he knows why he does not speak to the president more often.
“No, I don’t,” Fauci said.
