Fauci says he's a 'realist,' not an 'alarmist' after Trump description

Dr. Anthony Fauci is lightly pushing back on some comments from President Trump.

Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, spoke to Maria Shriver on Instagram this week, and responded to a question about Trump's recent declaration that he's a "little bit of an alarmist."

"I consider myself a realist, as opposed to an alarmist," Fauci said, NBC News reports.

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When Shriver asked Fauci if he thought the description was "unfair" since he's just "dealing with reality," Fauci responded, "I believe so. But then again, others have different opinions."

Trump's comment in an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace, in which he also said he has a "very good relationship" with Fauci but that the infectious disease expert has "made some mistakes," came after days of Trump administration officials attacking Fauci. Peter Navarro, White House trade adviser, wrote an op-ed in which he claimed Fauci "has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on," and Fauci subsequently told The Atlantic the recent attacks from these officials are "bizarre" and only "reflect poorly on them."

Fauci has repeatedly expressed dire warnings about the state of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., in contrast with Trump's more rosy view on the pandemic. In the discussion with Shriver, Fauci again stressed the need to get the number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. down significantly "if we want to go into the fall and winter in good shape."