Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciFauci will launch the first pitch for the opening game of the Washington Nationals. The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Former HHS Secretary Sebelius Gives the Trump Administration a D in Managing the Pandemic; Oxford and AstraZeneca report positive dual immunity results from early vaccine trials Coronavirus Report: Steve Clemons of The Hill interviews Kathleen Sebelius MORE said Tuesday that he had not been asked to participate President Trump
Donald John TrumpDHS expands staff authority to collect information on people who threaten monuments: Republican report points to Trump’s payroll tax cut on Republican coronavirus bill, for now Trump threatens to duplicate Portland in other major cities PLUSThe afternoon press conference, which is expected to focus on the new coronavirus.
“I was not invited up to this point. I guess I’m not going to be there, “said Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease expert, on CNN about an hour before the press conference began at 5 pm
The White House’s orientation to the event did not specify a topic for the briefing, nor did it reveal other officials who would join the president.
Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, did not respond to journalists’ questions earlier on whether other members of the task force, such as Fauci or Deborah Birx, would participate, saying they would have to “tune in to see.”
Fauci said that if he were present at the briefing, he would encourage Americans to take the actions recommended by health experts, such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
“There really are some fundamental things, principles, that if we implement that, I think we could change this in the southern states, which are really being affected right now,” Fauci said. He also recommended that state officials close the bars to address the increase in cases.
“We have shown that when you do those things, particularly physical distancing and the universal use of masks, you can change the type of surges we have seen,” Fauci continued.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he was not invited to the White House coronavirus briefing today and says the last time he spoke to President Trump was last week https://t.co/b3a787uR2n pic.twitter. com / 8uUO72cYKP
– CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 21, 2020
In a change, Trump revealed Monday that he planned to resume regular coronavirus briefings, which had been scrapped in late April after he sparked a backlash by suggesting that the disinfectant could be used to treat patients with COVID-19.
The briefings, which took place almost daily in March and April, often featured Trump and public health officials and sometimes featured other guests. Some of them dragged on for hours, strayed from the topic, and featured fights between Trump and journalists.
McEnany said in an interview on Fox News Tuesday morning that the briefings would be “short” and would primarily feature Trump “delivering information to the American people that is needed about therapies and vaccines.” McEnany also indicated that the briefings would cover topics in addition to the coronavirus.
Trump is looking down on growing disapproval ratings for his handling of the virus, which has killed more than 140,000 people in the U.S., strained hospitals and devastated the country’s economy. Several states in the western and southern parts of the US have seen worrying increases in infections in recent weeks, forcing officials to reverse plans to reopen businesses. Trump has largely downplayed the spikes in the cases, attributing them to increased evidence and calling them “burning coals” that will go out.
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