By CHARLIE SPIERING Â
White House Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro unleashed an op-ed on Wednesday criticizing Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci.
âSo when you ask me whether I listen to Dr. Fauciâs advice, my answer is: only with skepticism and caution,â Navarro concluded after detailing a list of his concerns with Fauci in an op-ed titled âAnthony Fauci Has Been Wrong About Everything I Have Interacted with Him Onâ in USA Today.
Navarro wrote that he pushed the president to take the coronavirus threat seriously and level a travel ban on flights from China in January.
âFauci fought against the presidentâs courageous decision â which might well have saved hundreds of thousands of American lives,â Navarro wrote.
Navarro said Fauci also told the news media in January ânot to worryâ about a possible pandemic and described the virus threat as âlow risk.â
âWhen we were building new mask capacity in record time, Fauci was flip-flopping on the use of masks,â he wrote, referring to the doctorâs recommendation not to wear masks at the beginning of the pandemic.
Navarro also challenged Fauci for dismissing hydroxychloroquine as a way to fight the virus despite scientific studies showing its success.
It appears Fauciâs dismissal of the falling mortality rate was the last straw for Navarro.
âNow Fauci says a falling mortality rate doesnât matter when it is the single most important statistic to help guide the pace of our economic reopening,â he wrote. âThe lower the mortality rate, the faster and more we can open.â
President Trump has gently increased his criticism of Fauci, despite repeating he has a good relationship with the doctor.
âDr. Fauci is a nice man, but heâs made a lot of mistakes,â Trump said in an interview with Sean Hannity on Friday.
On Monday, Trump told reporters although he had a âvery good relationshipâ with Dr. Fauci, âI donât always agree with him.â
The White House on Monday denied the White House was trying to undermine Fauci, as the doctor escalated his criticism of the countryâs handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
âTo the notion that thereâs opposition research and that thereâs Fauci vs. the president couldnât be further from the truth,â White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a press briefing on Monday. âDr. Fauci and the president have always had a good working relationship.â