Fauci May Be Earning Praise From Public, But President Might Be Losing Patience With Doctor
Dr. Anthony Fauci has emerged as a leading voice in the government's response. But as he continues to correct President Donald Trump's statements on the outbreak, some think the White House may be growing tired of the contrast. Meanwhile, Trump's daily briefings give him a way to present himself and his message to voters despite social distancing measures.
The New York Times:
Trump Has Given Unusual Leeway To Fauci, But Aides Say He’s Losing His Patience
President Trump has praised Dr. Anthony S. Fauci as a “major television star.” He has tried to demonstrate that the administration is giving him free rein to speak. And he has deferred to Dr. Fauci’s opinion several times at the coronavirus task force’s televised briefings. But Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, has grown bolder in correcting the president’s falsehoods and overly rosy statements about the spread of the coronavirus in the past two weeks — and he has become a hero to the president’s critics because of it. And now, Mr. Trump’s patience has started to wear thin. (Haberman, 3/23)
ABC News:
Tensions With Trump: Dr. Anthony Fauci On Telling The Truth
Just as those free-wheeling daily White House briefings on how the government is dealing with the coronavirus have become a constant in this strange new iteration of American life, so, too, has the presence of Dr. Anthony Fauci as a real-time fact-checker to President Donald Trump. Fauci, the government’s top expert on infectious diseases, has long been viewed as a truth-teller, but never so much as now, reassuring Americans looking for science-based answers about what to expect in the coronavirus epidemic, using plain-spoken language in his trademark Brooklyn accent. (Haslett, 3/23)
The Associated Press:
Fauci Says He Can't Stop Trump From Talking At Briefings
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he can’t jump in front of the microphone to stop President Donald Trump from speaking at daily White House briefings on the coronavirus outbreak. The nation’s top infectious disease expert told Science magazine in an interview that Trump listens “even though we disagree on some things.” “He goes his own way. He has his own style,” Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in the telephone interview with the magazine Sunday. “But on substantive issues, he does listen to what I say.” (Superville, 3/24)
CNN:
Fauci On Trump: 'I Can't Jump In Front Of The Microphone And Push Him Down'
The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, described the challenges of working with the Trump administration during the coronavirus pandemic in an interview with the journal Science published Sunday. Asked how he responds to falsehoods from the President during press conferences, Fauci said, "I can't jump in front of the microphone and push him down," according to the interview. (Azad, 3/23)
The Hill:
Trump Offers Praise For Absent Fauci: 'He's A Good Man'
President Trump on Monday praised National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, even as he acknowledged he may overrule the advice of public health officials and scale back steps taken to constrain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Fauci, a member of Trump's coronavirus task force, has become a familiar presence at the daily White House briefings, often offering a more sober contrast to Trump. (Weixel, 3/23)
NBC News:
See Trump's Reaction When He Heard One Of His Top Docs Was Tested For Coronavirus
The Trump administration's coronavirus task force had a moment of levity Monday when President Donald Trump playfully walked away from Dr. Deborah Birx, a panel member, after she revealed that she had a fever over the weekend and was tested for the virus. She was negative. (Clark, 3/23)
The New York Times:
In Daily Coronavirus Briefing, Trump Tries To Redefine Himself
President Trump’s campaign rallies have been canceled for the foreseeable future. His noisy back-and-forths with reporters on the South Lawn, half drowned out by the whir of Marine One behind him, have also disappeared. And with almost no meetings or foreign leaders visiting the Oval Office, Mr. Trump can no longer invite the news media to view him at work — photo ops that doubled as chances for him to engage in impromptu question-and-answer sessions with the news media that he could end on his own terms. (Karni, 3/23)
Politico:
Trump’s New 2020 Reality: Nothing Matters But His Coronavirus Response
Team Trump is rushing to rewrite the early narrative about the president’s response to coronavirus. Faced with endless video clips of Donald Trump downplaying the escalating outbreak, Trump aides and allies are working furiously to instead highlight the president’s recent actions and comments. Their effort comprises three tactics: Blanket supporters with detailed timelines of every action the Trump administration took. Amplify praise of those actions. And forcefully push back against anyone who criticizes those actions. (Kumar, 3/24)
Politico:
White House Reporter Suspected To Have Coronavirus, WHCA Says
The White House Correspondents Association on Monday said a reporter who was at the White House multiple times over the last two weeks is suspected to have coronavirus, according to an email from the organization. The reporter was at the White House on March 9, 11, 16 and 18, and the WHCA is encouraging all journalists present at the White House during those days to "review public health guidance, consult their medical professionals and take the appropriate next steps." (Ward, 3/23)
