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'In Fauci we trust.' Democrats pounce on Trump's rift with experts as coronavirus cases swell

WASHINGTON – Democrats are seizing on a growing rift between the White House and Dr. Anthony Fauci as aides seek to explain why President Donald Trump is battling with the nation's top infectious disease expert during the worsening coronavirus pandemic.

As cases of the virus surge in large swaths of the country and the nation's most populous state reversed course on reopening indoor businesses, Trump has insisted he has a "very good relationship" with Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, but also says, "I don't always agree with him."

As Trump and aides such as press secretary Kayleigh McEnany have dismissed questions about internal friction between the White House and Fauci, others within the president's orbit began openly airing their criticism.

"Dr. Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on," said Peter Navarro, a trade adviser who is close to the president and who claimed Fauci had downplayed the risks of the virus, "flip-flopped" on masks, and "was telling the media not to worry" this year.

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"So when you ask me if I listen to Dr. Fauci's advice, my answer is only with caution," Navarro added.

Fauci's supporters said his comments were being taken out of context, and that he made many of them early this year when little was known about the virus.

Meanwhile, throughout the pandemic Trump has made a series of incorrect statements and predictions about the coronavirus. Early on, he compared it to the flu, saying it might "miraculously" disappear. More recently, Trump has incorrectly blamed the rise in COVID-19 cases solely on increased testing. Trump claimed this month that 99% of coronavirus cases are "harmless" – an assertion at odds with a wide array of data on death rates and hospitalizations.

White House officials have increasingly cast Fauci as one of many experts in the administration and have said Trump must balance the public health advice against the economic impact of controlling the virus.

Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media, posted a cartoon on Facebook portraying Fauci as a faucet, flushing the U.S. economy down the drain. "Sorry, Dr. Faucet!" he posted. "At least you know if I’m going to disagree with a colleague, such as yourself, it’s done publicly – and not cowardly, behind journalists with leaks."

McEnany brushed aside a statement released by the White House over the weekend asserting that "several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things." That document, she said, was a response to specific questions from The Washington Post.

"And to the notion that there's opposition research and that there's Fauci versus the president, it couldn't be further from the truth," McEnany said Monday. "Dr. Fauci and the president have always had a very good working relationship."

Yet Trump himself has become increasingly confrontational in his remarks about Fauci as the infectious disease expert – who has served six presidents – warns of reopening businesses too soon. And the dispute is only the latest case of Trump casting doubt on public health officials charged with crafting Washington's response to the pandemic.

"Informed Dr. Fauci this morning that he has nothing to do with NFL Football," Trump tweeted last month after Fauci said a regular football season might be too risky.

In an interview last week on Fox News, Trump said Fauci had "made a lot of mistakes" but called him a "nice man."

NFL season: Trump doesn't like Dr. Fauci's football comments

Fauci told the Financial Times last week that he had not briefed Trump in at least two months and had not seen him in person since early June.

As he appeared to question Fauci's judgment on public health, Trump also retweeted a post this week from Chuck Woolery in which the former game show host claimed that "everyone is lying" about the virus, including "the CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors."

More than two thirds of Americans said they trust Fauci on the virus, according to a New York Times poll conducted by Siena College last month. That was vastly larger than the 26% who said they trusted Trump on that issue. Democrats – including Joe Biden, the party's presumptive presidential nominee – were quick to draw the distinction.

President Trump said coronavirus won't be coming back in the fall, but Dr. Fauci believes otherwise, contradicting the president's statements.
President Trump said coronavirus won't be coming back in the fall, but Dr. Fauci believes otherwise, contradicting the president's statements.

"Donald Trump needs to spend less time playing golf and more time listening to experts like Dr. Fauci," Biden posted on Twitter.

"The truth is, this country needs Dr. Anthony Fauci," tweeted Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. "These attacks are unfair; we should be listening to health experts and following the science."

Muriel Bowser, the Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C., and a frequent critic of the president, also weighed in on the dispute.

"In Fauci we trust," she posted on Twitter. "Mask on, DC."

Total confirmed cases of coronavirus surpassed 3.3 million and more than 135,000 Americans have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. Florida reported a record 132 additional COVID-19 related deaths Tuesday, surpassing the previous high of 120 set July 9.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week announced a list of industries that will be required to close as cases continue to increase in that state. They included indoor operations at restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums, card rooms and all bars.

"This continues to be a deadly disease," Newsom said. "This continues to be a disease that puts people in our ICUs, in our hospitals and is currently putting a strain on our hospital system."

Contributing: John Bacon, Nicholas Wu, Palm Springs Desert Sun

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats such as Joe Biden pounced on Trump's criticism of Anthony Fauci