Naming Mike Pence coronavirus czar with 'zero experience in the medical area' is 'a total joke,' says 2014 Trump

President Trump on Wednesday appointed Vice President Mike Pence his point person on the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak that is spreading disease and panic through much of the world. Pence's appointment was reportedly a surprise to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who had been in charge of the Trump administration's response up until Trump's announcement.

Pence has zero experience in the medical area and no real expertise in infections disease control, which would seem to make his appointment "A TOTAL JOKE," according to Trump, circa 2014.

To be fair, Azar is also not a doctor and doesn't have a robust public health background. His medical experience mostly involves a stint as the top lawyer at HHS and years as a lobbyist and executive for the pharmaceutical industry. But at least the large government agency he leads has "health" in its name. Peter Weber

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Editor's note: This article previously included an inaccurate tweet. It has been removed. We regret the error.