Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to portray face covers as an affront to freedom.
Washington, United States:
Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease specialist, likes to focus on science – but his honest stance on America’s failure to master COVID-19 has led to an ever-increasing conflict with President Donald Trump.
As director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, the doctor-researcher has led the country’s response to each epidemic since the 1980s, which has earned him special recognition for his research on HIV treatments. .
These days, his public profile is greater than ever, thanks to his frank approach to the coronavirus which has earned him legions of fans, who buy T-shirts and bobbleheads in his likeness.
At the start of the pandemic, the 79-year-old learned the delicate art of fending off his boss’s boastfulness without publicly contradicting him – on topics ranging from vaccine development times to Trump’s confusing faith in an antimalarial drug not proven to fight the virus.
However, there are more and more signs that diplomacy is starting to crumble.
Fauci says he has not met with the president since June 2 and has not attended any recent television briefings from the White House Coronavirus task force that has given him a name.
The reason?
His disastrous warnings about the dangers of reopening states too quickly do not seem to suit the commander-in-chief, who placed his hopes for re-election on the proclamation of victory over the virus and the restart of the economy.
The United States, by far the most affected country in the world with more than 137,000 deaths, has known since mid-June a new spectacular wave, the site of the epidemic moving in California, Texas, Arizona and in Florida.
“As a country, when you compare us to other countries, I don’t think you can say we are doing well,” Fauci told political news site FiveThirtyEight last week, just days after warned that the United States could start seeing 100,000 new cases. day if he has not corrected his course.
Asked about the impact of the politicization of face masks, he replied: “I think you will have to assume that if there were not such a division, we would have a more coordinated approach”.
US health officials adopted a pro-mask policy in the spring after new data changed the balance of evidence in favor of its use.
Trump, however, continued to procrastinate on the issue, and repeatedly sought to portray facial covers as an affront to freedom and a conspiracy to stir up fear.
Over the weekend, the White House responded with a one-two punch, sending the media a note supposedly demonstrating all the time that Fauci “got it wrong” during the pandemic.
This was followed by a scathing editorial in USA Today by Presidential Sales Advisor Peter Navarro, who wrote that he had never listened to Fauci’s advice “with skepticism and caution”.
Media blitz
Banned from doing television interviews, Fauci more than made up for it by going to a print and podcast blitz where he took on a more assertive tone.
“I think everyone thinks that I do more than exceptional work,” he told this week’s women’s fashion magazine InStyle.
He also pointed out that, at least with regard to his work at NIAID, where he is leading efforts to develop the COVID-19 vaccine, the president cannot fire him.
The escalating conflict has fueled speculation that the veteran doctor may soon be shown by the president.
Trump, who is lagging behind in Vice President Joe Biden’s polls, must carefully consider such a decision in case it turns around.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that Fauci enjoys the confidence of 65% of the American public, indicating broad bipartisan support.
And so, the two sides found ways to lower the temperature.
Fauci told The Atlantic that the attacks on the White House were “weird,” adding, cleverly: “When the staff let go of something like that and the entire scientific community and the press push back, it ends up hurt the president. “
Trump, for his part, fled, telling reporters that he and Fauci got along well and that his staff acted of their own free will.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
