Trump even made reference on social media to Fauci’s meme-worthy „facepalm“ at a White House coronavirus task force briefing on Friday, sharing a post by a Twitter user who declared, „Dr. Fauci is all of us.“ The viral moment, which saw Fauci stifle a chuckle and apparently react dismissively to Trump’s branding of the State Department as the „Deep State Department,“ was among the inciting incidents that have sparked new speculation regarding his relationship with the president.
In that same White House briefing last week and another news conference on Saturday, the two men offered conflicting assessments of possible pharmaceutical treatments for the coronavirus, with Trump striking an optimistic tone and Fauci emphasizing the need for further clinical trials. Then, in an interview with Science magazine published on Sunday, Fauci acknowledged the difficulties of fact-checking the commander in chief in real time, remarking, „I can’t jump in front of the microphone and push him down.“
On Monday, The New York Times reported that Trump and some White House advisers’ patience with Fauci had „started to wear thin,“ but noted that the president has afforded the doctor „more leeway to contradict him than he has other officials“ given Fauci’s credibility among journalists and the broader public. But when Trump arrived hours later at the White House daily news briefing, Fauci — normally a regular presence at the televised sessions with reporters — was not by the president’s side.
Source: politico.com
See more here: news365.stream
