Fauci Dismisses Idea of Friction Between Him and Trump: ‘Kind of a Distraction to Pit Me Against the President’

On Monday, President Donald Trump was asked by Laura Ingraham if he would still have Dr. Anthony Fauci as a key member of the U.S. coronavirus response if he could do it all over again.

Trump reiterated what he’s said before — that he gets along with Fauci but doesn’t agree with him on everything — and said at one point that he “inherited” Fauci, who has served as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.

Fauci was asked about this on Good Morning America Tuesday, and he made a point of downplaying the idea there is friction between him and the president:

“I think he does [trust me]. I think when you get statements like that, that doesn’t really reflect what actually goes on. I mean, I was at the White House yesterday at a task force meeting with the vice president, and everything that we discussed — including what you just spoke about regarding children, regarding what’s going on — gets to the president. He understands that. So I think that’s kind of a distraction to pit me against the president. We’re all on the same team.”

Fauci also addressed the CDC guidelines about testing that were changed, saying it caused confusion and has been “straightened out,” as well as correcting a false claim going around about how many people have died from Covid-19.

You can watch above, via ABC.