President Trump and senior White House advisers are starting to lose patience with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as he continues to publicly correct Trump when he makes false statements about the coronavirus, The New York Times reports.
Fauci has been a familiar face at coronavirus briefings. In recent days, Fauci and Trump have disagreed on how long it will take for a coronavirus vaccine to be ready for use and whether an anti-malaria drug could help certain coronavirus patients. Over the weekend, Fauci told Science magazine that even when they aren't on the same page, if it's a "substantive issue," Trump "does listen to what I say." He also admitted that when Trump says something that's not true, "I can't jump in front of the microphone and push him down. Okay, he said it. Let's try and get it corrected for the next time."
Multiple people close to Trump told the Times' Maggie Haberman that they consider such remarks as digs against Trump, and they don't know how Fauci has enough time to even sit down for an interview. Although he may be getting under Trump's skin, the president is aware that a vast majority of the public trusts Fauci, and the benefits of having him in his orbit outweigh the negatives, the Times reports.
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Fauci was absent at Monday evening's coronavirus briefing, and when asked about his whereabouts, Trump responded, "He's a good man."
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