Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Friday he has not briefed President Donald Trump in at least two months and not seen him in person at the White House since June 2, despite a coronavirus resurgence that has strained hospitals and led several states to pause reopenings.
Fauci told the Financial Times he was “sure” his messages were sent to the president even though the two have not been in close contact in the past several weeks.
The comments from the Trump administration’s director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases came as Trump has been critical of Fauci and spoken openly about issues on which they disagree.
In a Thursday interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump said Fauci had “made a lot of mistakes” but called him a “nice man.” Trump also said “most cases” of coronavirus would “automatically cure. They automatically get better.”
Fauci also in the FT interview said Trump was incorrect in claiming 99% of coronavirus cases were “harmless” and may have conflated some statistics.
