After Attacks From Trump Aides, Fauci Says ‘Let’s Stop This Nonsense’ and Focus on Virus
WASHINGTON — After several days spent weathering attacks from White House officials, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci hit back on Wednesday, calling recent efforts to discredit him “bizarre” and a hindrance to the government’s ability to communicate information about the coronavirus pandemic.
“I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that,” Dr. Fauci said in an interview with The Atlantic published on Wednesday, speaking of recent attempts by President Trump’s aides to undermine him. “I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it’s only reflecting negatively on them.”
It was the latest salvo in a war that has broken out in the middle of a pandemic between the government’s top infectious disease expert and a White House that has never evolved beyond the bare-knuckle tactics of the 2016 campaign.
On Wednesday, Peter Navarro, Mr. Trump’s top trade adviser, published a brazen op-ed article in USA Today describing Dr. Fauci as “wrong about everything.” Over the weekend, another of Mr. Trump’s top advisers shared a mocking cartoon that portrayed Dr. Fauci as a leaky faucet. Other White House officials have targeted Dr. Fauci by distributing opposition research-style documents to reporters that detail what they say are his mistakes.
