Trump, Fauci at odds

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top infectious disease specialist, likes to focus on science — but his honest takes on America’s failures to get a grip on COVID-19 have brought him into ever greater conflict with President Donald Trump.

As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the physician-scientist has led the country’s response to every epidemic since the 1980s, earning particular acclaim for his research on HIV treatments.

These days, his public profile is bigger than ever, thanks to his straight-talking approach on the coronavirus that has won him legions of fans, who buy T-shirts and bobbleheads in his likeness.

Early on in the pandemic, the 79-year-old learned the delicate art of pushing back against the bluster of his boss without publicly contradicting him — on topics ranging from vaccine development timelines to Trump’s puzzling faith in an unproven malaria drug to fight the virus.

There are increasing signs, however, that the diplomacy is starting to fray.

Fauci says he has not met the president since 2 June, and he has not attended any recent televised briefings of the White House coronavirus task force that made him a household name.

The reason?

His dire warnings on the dangers of reopening states too fast don’t seem to sit well with the commander-in-chief, who has placed his re-election hopes on declaring victory over the virus and jumpstarting the economy.