- Dr. Deborah Birx, medical director of the White House coronavirus task force, told Trump administration officials in April that the virus would likely disappear soon, The New York Times reported Saturday.
- According to the report, Birx believed that the United States would follow the same path as Italy, with a sharp increase in cases followed by a gradual decline.
- The optimistic assessment provided by Birx reportedly influenced the Trump administration’s push to reopen the economy and lift the blockade.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, another prominent member of the task force, has claimed that states lifted the blockade too soon, causing infection rates to rise rapidly after weeks of decline.
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Dr. Deborah Birx, medical director of the White House coronavirus task force, told the Trump administration in April that it was not a long-term problem for the United States, The New York Times reported.
Birx said the virus in the US would follow the same path as in Italy, with a sharp increase in infections followed by a gradual decrease in infections.
The optimistic picture provided by Birx was reportedly well received by Trump administration officials as the president pushed for states to lift the blockade and measures and for the economy to prepare before the November presidential election. .
But things did not turn out the way Birx claimed they would, with infection rates increasing dramatically after states hastily lifted closure measures, while infection rates remained high.
In Italy, the blockade measures lasted longer and were uniformly imposed across the country. They were introduced little by little into the United States, with different states imposing them and then lifting them at various points.
According to the report, Trump sought to hold states accountable for coronavirus control measures to evade responsibility and political consequences.
“Colleagues described her as dedicated to public health and working to exhaustion to get the right data, but her model-based assessment, however, failed to account for one vital variable: how Mr. Trump’s rush to urge a return to normality would help undermine social distancing and other measures that kept the numbers low, “reports the Times.
Birx was criticized in March after generously praising Trump’s understanding of the science and attention to detail in comments to reporters. Weeks later, the video footage captured his fight to contain his surprise when the president promoted a series of dangerous or unproven cures to treat the coronavirus, including disinfectant injection.
With the US registering 70,000 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, the president has repeatedly tried to minimize the data, falsely alleging that more and more cases result from the US testing more. people to detect the virus.
The president no longer seeks advice on the virus from top public health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci, another key member of the task force. Fauci recently told the Financial Times that he had not spoken to Trump since early June.
Birx reportedly took over the day-to-day operation of the task force, CNN reported Friday, as Trump’s relationship with Fauci continues to deteriorate.
“President Trump and his bold actions since the start of this pandemic are in stark contrast to Democrats and the radical left who do nothing to simply complain, criticize, and condemn everything this President does to preserve this nation,” he said. White House spokesman Judd Deere. the times.
