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US President Donald Trump says he likes leading health expert Anthony Fauci and does not intend to fire him, despite earlier retweeting a call to sack him for saying lives could have been saved if the country shut down earlier.
Key points:
- Dr Fauci said the US could have saved more lives if borders had shut sooner
- He has contradicted Mr Trump on a number of scientific health matters
- The coronavirus has killed more than 22,000 people in the US
At a press briefing, Mr Trump said he and Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had been on the same page "from the beginning" about the virus and played a video for reporters defending his administration's response.
"I think he's a wonderful guy," Mr Trump said of Dr Fauci, while adding that not everyone was happy with him.
Mr Trump, who played down the seriousness of the virus in its initial stages, has chafed at media coverage suggesting he did not do enough to prevent its spread.
On Sunday (local time), Mr Trump retweeted a call to fire Dr Fauci after the top US expert on infectious diseases said lives could have been saved if the country had shut down sooner during the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Mr Trump denounced the story, calling it "fake."
At the briefing, Dr Fauci said he was answering a hypothetical question in the interview and made clear that Mr Trump had listened to him when he recommended mitigation efforts that included strict social distancing measures.
The Republican president in the past has retweeted critical tweets of officials or enemies.
The retweet fuelled speculation Mr Trump was running out of patience with Dr Fauci and could fire him, prompting a White House denial.
A White House spokesman said Mr Trump's retweet addressed what he considered a false report on his travel restriction involving China, where the novel coronavirus originated.
More trust in Dr Fauci than President: polls
Dr Fauci has assumed national prominence as a leader in the fight against the coronavirus.
He has contradicted or corrected Mr Trump on scientific matters during the public health crisis, including whether the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is effective against the virus.
Dr Fauci was asked on CNN about a New York Times report documenting early warnings issued to the White House about the novel coronavirus.
He acknowledged shutting the country down sooner could have saved lives but cautioned that several factors were involved.
"Obviously, it would have been nice if we had a better head start, but I don't think you could say that we are where we are right now because of one factor," Dr Fauci said.
"It's very complicated."
Already a target of the far-right for his contradictions of Mr Trump, Dr Fauci drew more criticism after the interview.
Last week during the daily White House coronavirus briefing, Mr Trump stepped in and prevented Dr Fauci from answering a question about hydroxychloroquine.
Dr Fauci, 79, has led the federal infectious disease agency since 1984 under Republican and Democratic presidents.
Republican president George W Bush honoured him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008.
Some polls during the public health crisis have shown Americans trust him more than Mr Trump.
Trump plans to re-open shuttered US economy
Mr Trump said his administration was close to completing a plan to re-open the US economy, which has been largely shut down to slow the spread of coronavirus.
In his daily news briefing, Mr Trump noted that the number of deaths from the virus in the US had begun to plateau, indicating that "social distancing" efforts had succeeded.
State governors, meanwhile, appeared to be discussing plans to resume economic activity without seeking input from the Trump administration.
Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak
Nine states on the US east and west coasts said they had begun planning for the slow reopening of their economies and lifting of strict stay-at-home orders.
The virus has killed more than 22,000 people in the US and shut down all but essential travel and businesses.
Mr Trump says he has the authority to decide how and when to reopen the US economy.
Pressed on the question of whether governors or the federal government would decide to re-open schools and closed businesses, the president said that he had ultimate authority.
"If some states refuse to open … they are going to open," Mr Trump said.
"The President of the United States calls the shots.
"That being said, we're going to work with the states."
Reuters
Topics: covid-19, epidemics-and-pandemics, infectious-diseases-other, governance, donald-trump, government-and-politics, united-states
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