Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Trump Officials Are Attacking Anthony Fauci. Thousands Of Doctors Are Hitting Back.

Trump Officials Are Attacking Anthony Fauci. Thousands Of Doctors Are Hitting Back.

"You cannot have a competent public health response without a clear communication strategy," one top medical expert said of the White House’s moves against Fauci. "This isn't it."

More than 1,000 health officials came to the aid of Dr. Anthony Fauci after a White House official published an op-ed trying to discredit the nation’s top health expert who has helped steer the country through the coronavirus pandemic so far.

Peter Navarro, an assistant to the president and a director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, wrote an op-ed in USA Today criticizing Fauci. The op-ed said Fauci has “been wrong on everything” that Navarro has interacted with him on.

Thousands of doctors are now ridiculing Navarro’s claims and responding with a broad defense of Fauci, who has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.

Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, told BuzzFeed News that White House aides trying to discredit Fauci only hurts the Trump administration.

"First of all, the people speaking out against Tony Fauci have absolutely no medical credibility, no public health credibility, and frankly, no policy credibility when it comes to any kind of disaster or situation involving human health,” Benjamin told BuzzFeed News. "They are undermining not just Fauci but everyone in the administration. You cannot have a competent public health response without a clear communication strategy. This isn't it."

Benjamin also spoke to Navarro’s assertion of Fauci “flip-flopping on the use of masks.” In the first months of the pandemic, US public health officials who were worried about shortages discouraged the use of surgical masks for everyone but medical personnel. But in April, the guidance switched to encouraging cloth masks for everyone after evidence emerged that face coverings lowered the risk of infected people transmitting COVID-19.

"The reason Tony has changed his outlook on the virus is that we’ve learned more about it, obviously. I wouldn't say all the same things now I said in the first months,” said Benjamin. “We learn and we change what we do. That is how infectious diseases work."

Fauci, in an unusually explicit public defense of his work and dig at those attacking him, told the Atlantic on Wednesday that the attempts to undermine him are “bizarre.”

“I think if you talk to reasonable people in the White House, they realize that was a major mistake on their part because it doesn’t do anything but reflect poorly on them,” Fauci said. He added: “I can’t explain Peter Navarro. He’s in a world by himself.”

Navarro, an economist best known for promoting his protectionist views on trade with China far removed from those of most trade experts, has also emerged as a fierce advocate of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. The FDA pulled its emergency authorization of the drug last month after studies showed it offered patients no benefits and raised the risks of heart arrhythmia.

Benjamin is joined by thousands of other doctors in publicly defending Fauci. The Infectious Diseases Society of America released a statement Wednesday speaking on behalf of its 12,000 medical doctors, research scientists, and public health experts, saying they won’t be “sidelined” and calling the campaign to discredit Fauci “disturbing.”

“Despite the nation’s vast resources and abilities, more than 135,000 people in America have died from COVID-19 - more than any other country, and the numbers keep rising," the statement read. "Every day now brings a new high in the number of newly infected people and deaths. This is a full-blown crisis, unlike any America has ever faced, and it needs to be treated as such.”

The statement added, “If we have any hope of ending this crisis, all of America must support public health experts, including Dr. Fauci, and stand with science.”

Fauci, known before the coronavirus pandemic for his work leading the charge to research treatments during the AIDS epidemic, also has the backing of the HIV Medicine Association, an organization representing the interests of medical professionals who practice HIV medicine.

In a statement, the organization said Fauci’s “leadership and support of a rigorous scientific process has been critical to transforming HIV from a death sentence to a chronic condition, saving millions of lives worldwide. His voice and expertise need to be amplified not silenced if we are going to get control of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now taken the lives of more than 135,000 Americans and more than 570,000 people worldwide.”

The American Society for Microbiology also wrote a letter Tuesday to Vice President Mike Pence expressing its support for Fauci and other health officials “prioritizing science-based public health strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic​.”

In a separate statement to BuzzFeed News, Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called the "blatant attempts to discredit" Fauci "dismaying."

"Misleading attacks on Dr. Fauci’s credibility could have real consequences in prolonging this pandemic," he said.

During an unrelated White House event on Wednesday, President Donald Trump skirted questions on whether he’s OK with Navarro’s op-ed; he just described the nature of his relationship with Dr. Fauci.

“I get along very well with Dr. Fauci," Trump said. When pressed on the question again, “That’s Peter Navarro, but I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci.” Later, the president told reporters that Navarro made a statement “representing himself. He shouldn’t be doing that.”

But leading up to the op-ed, the White House sidelined Fauci when it issued a statement to the Washington Post on Saturday that said “several ... officials are concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things.”

Others close to the president have also pushed messages discrediting Fauci over the last several days, including longtime Trump adviser Dan Scavino, who posted on Facebook a cartoon ridiculing the health expert and accusing him of using the media to bring the economy to a halt. The piece was titled “Dr. Faucet.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×