Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the New York Times that he tries to be diplomatic when forced to contradict President Trump on the facts of the coronavirus outbreak.
Why it matters: As the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, Fauci has been a guiding force and steady hand in shaping the White House’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. His nonpolitical, realist outlook has at times stood in stark contrast with the dismissive tone and relentless optimism of the president.
- On Friday, Fauci was forced to step in at a White House press briefing when Trump touted the promise of an anti-malaria drug that has not yet been approved by the FDA for treating the coronavirus — something he continues to do on Twitter.
- “I’m not totally sure what the president was referring to,” Fauci told reporters. “But I believe he was referring to a report that used both hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin together to have some possibility of being an effect. Many of the things out there are what I have called ‘anecdotal reports.'”
“On Friday, a trigger-happy Trump was so quick to talk up the fabulous possibilities of an antimalarial drug in combating the virus that Dr. Fauci had to pump the brakes, taking the microphone to explain that we do not know yet because controlled testing is needed.” Source: The New York Times
For more on this story, read Axios and The Washington Post: