Donald Trump claims he has 'good relationship' with Anthony Fauci amid signs of rift

US President Donald Trump on July 13 said he gets along with Anthony Fauci very well despite evidence suggesting a rift between the two men amid growing cases of coronavirus in the country. Dr. Anthony Fauci is a leading infectious disease expert and one of the members of the White House coronavirus task force. Donald Trump during an event at the presidential residence on Monday said that he had a 'good relationship' with Fauci, telling reporters 'I like him' personally. Trump on many occasions has publicly disagreed with Fauci as just last week he said America is in a good place with the COVID-19 pandemic rejecting his top expert's view that the country is not in a good position. 

Read: Donald Trump Rejects Anthony Fauci's Comments, Says US 'in Good Place' With COVID-19

'Fauci asked to avoid masks'

Donald Trump during a television interview last week said that Fauci resisted the travel ban on China at the start of the pandemic. Trump further added that Fauci initially asked to avoid facemasks but now is rooting for them. Trump and his aides have often mounted attacks on Fauci over his repeated claims that the United States is not handling the COVID-19 crisis well as compared to other countries. In an interview Meanwhile, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany during a briefing told reporters that the president appreciated his top infectious expert's advice despite Trump telling a Fox News host that Fauci has made a lot of mistakes. 

Read: White House Turns On Fauci As Trump Minimizes Virus Spike

The United States is currently the worst affected country in the world with over 3.3 million coronavirus cases as of July 14. According to figures by Johns Hopkins University, the United States has recorded more than 1,35,000 deaths as of July 13, of which New York remains the worst-hit region with over 32,300 deaths, followed by New Jersey with over 15,500 deaths. Meanwhile, the world has recorded 13 million coronavirus cases and at least 5,72,428 deaths to date. 

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