As Coronavirus Surges, Trump Escalates Conflict With Fauci

Anthony Fauci, America's leading infectious disease specialist, likes to focus on science, but his honest opinion on America's failures to control COVID-19 has led to increasing conflict with President Donald. Trump.

As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the medical scientist has led the country's response to all epidemics since the 1980s, garnering special recognition for his research on HIV treatments.

These days, his public profile is bigger than ever, thanks to his direct focus on the coronavirus that has earned him legions of fans, who buy T-shirts and dolls like him.

At the start of the pandemic, the 79-year-old learned the delicate art of fighting his boss's bravado without publicly contradicting him, on topics ranging from vaccine development timelines to Trump's baffling faith in a malaria drug not proven to fight the virus.

However, there are increasing signs that diplomacy is beginning to deteriorate.

Fauci says he has not met with the president since June 2 and has not attended any recent television meetings of the White House coronavirus task force that made him a household name.

The reason?

His dire warnings about the dangers of reopening the states too quickly do not seem right with the commander-in-chief, who has pinned his reelection hopes on declaring victory over the virus and boosting the economy.

The United States, which is by far the most affected country in the world with more than 137,000 deaths, since mid-June has seen a dramatic new increase, with the epidemic shifting to California, Texas, Arizona and Florida.

"As a country, when you compare us to other countries, I don't think you can say we are doing well," Fauci told the political news site FiveThirtyEight last week, days after warning that the United States could begin to see 100,000 new cases by year. day if you did not correct your course.

When asked about the impact of the politicization of facial masks, he replied: "I think I would have to assume that if there were not so much division, we would have a more coordinated approach."

U.S. health officials adopted a pro-mask policy in the spring after new data shifted the balance of evidence in favor of its use.

However, Trump has continued to be wrong on the subject, and has repeatedly tried to portray the covers on his face as an affront to freedom and a conspiracy to stoke fear.

Over the weekend, the White House responded with a double whammy, sending the media a memo that purported to demonstrate every time that Fauci "got things wrong" during the pandemic.

This was followed by a scathing opinion piece on USA Today by President Peter Navarro's business adviser, who wrote that he only listened to Fauci's advice "with skepticism and caution."

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