Dr. Anthony Fauci has attributed the misinformation and animosity he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic to Donald Trump's staff, stating they fed the former president false information and tried to discredit him, The Hill reported.
Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was a central figure in the United States' response to the pandemic. However, his stance against Trump's unsubstantiated claims about the virus and his advocacy for vaccination made him controversial, especially among right-leaning circles.
Fauci reflected on his interactions with Trump in an interview Friday with former Washington Post journalist Rick Atkinson while promoting his new book, "On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service."
Fauci noted that their relationship was amicable, but tensions escalated when stay-at-home and social distancing measures were implemented in March 2020. Trump initially supported these measures, hoping that COVID-19 would disappear like the flu.
"I was saying, you know, it's not [the flu]," Fauci said. He refused to endorse the notion that the virus would vanish quickly, insisting, "We've got to own it. It's a different disease."
While Trump himself did not seem overly upset with Fauci, the president's staff grew increasingly hostile. The situation, he said, worsened after Trump promoted hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19, a claim Fauci publicly refuted.
According to Fauci, the White House communications team began efforts to undermine him, conducting what he described as opposition research against one of their own.
He also touched on the ongoing harassment and death threats he and his family have endured, which caused him to become emotional during a recent congressional hearing. This marked his first appearance before lawmakers since his retirement nearly 18 months ago.
In a separate interview earlier this week on a late-night show, Fauci reiterated that his intention was not to disparage Trump but to correct inaccuracies.
"I have a great deal of respect for the office of the presidency," he said, explaining his need to contradict Trump's misleading statements publicly.
Despite Fauci's clarifications, the Trump administration maintained that Fauci was politicizing the pandemic.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.