Trump’s aide Dan Scavino posts mocking cartoon fauci


WASHINGTON – White House officials this week denied trying to undermine Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, for his harsh analysis of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Dan Scavino, the White House’s deputy director of communications staff, undermined that message by posting a cartoon taunting Dr. Fauci by an artist whose work has been criticized for his anti-Semitic imagery.

On Sunday, Scavino posted on Facebook a representation of Dr. Fauci who compared it to a faucet that drowns Uncle Sam, in the case, representing the economy, with water droplets tagged with false public health warnings deemed antithetical to politics. from the White House: “Schools stay closed this fall!” Close indefinitely! “” Shut up and obey! “

The publication by Mr. Scavino, one of Mr. Trump’s most trusted advisers, is another example of the Trump administration treating Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as another political opponent, although Mr Scavino refers to him as a colleague.

“Sorry, Dr. Faucet!” Mr. Scavino wrote in a caption accompanying the publication. “At least you know if I’m going to disagree with a colleague, like you, it is done publicly, and not cowardly, behind leaked journalists. See you tomorrow!”

It also contained errors: Dr. Fauci publicly said that he favors children returning to school, but that decisions must be made taking into account the level of coronavirus cases in each district, and has said that he is against more widespread blockades. after pushing for an extensive one earlier this year.

The cartoon published by Mr. Scavino was drawn by artist Ben Garrison, whose work is often promoted by far-right figures and trolls. Last year, Garrison was not invited to a meeting at the White House of the president’s social media fans because his work contains anti-Semitic messages. (Dr. Fauci is not Jewish).

Mr. Scavino published the cartoon a day after The Washington Post published an article detailing how officials had avoided Dr. Fauci from television interviews and, in his behind-the-scenes communications with journalists, accused him of doing various false statements.

When asked Monday whether White House aides were involved in a campaign-style opposition investigation against Dr. Fauci, Kayleigh McEnany, White House press secretary, said the White House had simply responded to journalists’ questions.

On Tuesday, the White House declined to comment on Scavino’s post, or if it was a reflection of Trump’s views on Dr. Fauci, but a senior official praised him for putting his name on the post.

  • Updated July 7, 2020

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Scavino, the former Trump golf caddy who has been by the President’s side since the 2016 campaign, is one of the few attendees who has earned Trump’s trust. From his desk a short distance from the Oval Office, Mr. Scavino often posts on social media with the President, introducing him to ideas from the broader universe of the meme-maker, cartoonist, and trolls administration.

Since the start of the pandemic, Scavino has used his sizable social media platform to enter controversies around the White House, including in April, when he accused Voice of America of promoting Chinese propaganda.

In the past, Mr. Trump has also come under fire for sharing social media posts criticizing Dr. Fauci, including one calling for his firing, but on Monday, Mr. Trump said he liked Dr. Fauci “personally “Although he did not. Always agree with him.

Dr. Fauci visited the White House on Monday to meet Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, but it is unclear whether he encountered Trump or Scavino, whose office is adjacent to the Oval Office.