This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
On July 13, 2020, US President Donald Trump contradicted his own administration's efforts to discredit Dr. Anthony Fauci, a senior member of his coronavirus taskforce, by stating that he has a 'very good' working relationship with the respected scientist.
Trump's comments came as his administration has repeatedly undercut Fauci, who has warned that US officials and citizens have not done enough to fight the pandemic. The president's remarks were made despite his own criticism of Fauci, whom he has called a 'nice man' who has 'made a lot of mistakes.'
As the US surpasses 3.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 135,000 deaths, the world's highest toll, Trump has minimized the severity of the pandemic. In a statement last week, he said that Fauci is a 'nice man' but has 'made a lot of mistakes.'
However, Trump's press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, downplayed tensions between the president and Fauci, stating that Trump 'certainly' still values the expert's opinion. McEnany added that Fauci is 'one of many on the task force who provides advice.'
The Biden campaign slammed Trump for his comments, calling them a 'disgusting attempt to pass the buck' and a 'horrible and revealing failure of leadership.'
