Donald Trump rejects Anthony Fauci's comments, says US 'in good place' with COVID-19

US President Donald Trump has dismissed the comments made by the country’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci and said America is “in a good place” with the COVID-19 pandemic. After Fauci said that the US is in ‘knee-deep’ in the first wave of coronavirus outbreak, Trump said: “I disagree with him”. In an interview with an international media outlet, the US President showcased optimism about country’s handling of COVID-19 pandemic while the total infections are now nearing to three million and over 131,000 deaths as per Johns Hopkins University tally.

While talking to Gray Television at the White House, Donald Trump attacked the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for his contradicting comments made during the global health crisis. The US President said that Fauci initially asked to avoid facemasks but now is rooting for them and added that ‘he said numerous things’ including resisting travel ban on China. 

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But Donald Trump said that despite Fauci’s concerns with banning China, ‘I did it anyway’. He even touted his own handling of the crisis that defied the recommendations by ‘many experts’  and US President said “we would have been in much worse shape” and the administration “has done a good job”. Moreover, according to the US President in the upcoming weeks, by the time he sets another interview with the media outlet the US is “going to be in very good shape”. 

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'We're still knee-deep in first wave'

Trump's disagreement with Fauci came after America’s top infectious disease expert warned that it is a “serious situation” that has to be addressed urgently. In the live stream for National Institutes of Health on Facebook and Twitter on July 6, Fauci said that the state of COVID-19 pandemic in the US is “really not good”. While the total coronavirus infections in the country are nearing three million with over 131,000 deaths as per johns Hopkins University tally, US top health expert has said, “we are still knee-deep in the first wave of this”.

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