President Donald Trump is reportedly getting fed up with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The New York Times reported on Monday night that Trump, ever obsessed with his image, has been chafing at Fauci publicly contradicting the President’s
misleadingly optimistic messaging on the COVID-19 pandemic. Several White House officials also reportedly believe that the doctor has been too critical of Trump.
Unnamed advisers told the Times that Trump hasn’t given Fauci the ax yet because the doctor still serves a useful purpose: having a good rapport with the public and thereby lending credibility to the administration’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Though Fauci generally maintains a mild-mannered demeanor during Trump’s press conferences on COVID-19, there was a moment on Saturday when he directly refuted the President’s claim there was no medical supply shortage.
“You’re not making things up,” Fauci said to the CNN reporter who had brought up the shortage.
The doctor also got blunt during an interview with Science Magazine on Sunday.
“Let’s get real, what do you want me to do?” he asked when the interviewer asked about Trump’s repeated falsehoods on the coronavirus.
