Coronavirus: White House chooses to embrace Fauci even after he contradicted Trump

Anthony Fauci broke with Donald Trump over how quickly to open the country, accessibility to coronavirus testing and the likely death toll. But rather than slamming the infectious disease official, the White House quickly embraced him.

Mr Fauci warned a Senate committee that unless all federally recommended mitigation steps are followed all over the country, governors risk “little spikes” that might spawn outbreaks “you might not be able to control”.

“My word has been ... that I get concerned if you have a situation with dynamics of an outbreak if you are not seeing a gradual 14-day decrease” in the number of confirmed cases, he said during four hours of testimony. “What I’ve expressed ... is my concern that if some areas ... jump over [recommended benchmarks] prematurely.

“There is no doubt when you pull back on mitigation,” he said in his signature measured-yet-blunt style, “you will see cases appear”.

Each comment contradicts the president, who has hailed the United States as the “king of testing” and also said testing is not a magic bullet to end the pandemic. Mr Trump also continues to push state chiefs executives to open their territories because the American people, he says, want their everyday lives back.

Mr Trump, notably, did not tweet or call for reporters during the hearing to refute anything Mr Fauci or other White House coronavirus task force members said on Capitol Hill. He frequently contradicted them during those now-scuttled White House coronavirus task force briefings. And when his top spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, appeared for an afternoon press briefing, she also did something notable.

She embraced Mr Fauci, who is popular around the country and world, rather than pushed back on his testimony.

Asked about the panel’s chairman – Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander – and that the country’s testing efforts need to improve for a full reopening, Kayleigh McEnany cited Mr Fauci.

“Well, first, I would note the words of Dr Anthony Fauci,” she said, “there will be enough tests to allow us to take this country safely through phase one.”

Another reporter asked: “Okay and with regard to vaccines the question was asked when and if a vaccine becomes available regardless of income can the president ensure that everybody will get the vaccine regardless of income?”

Part of her answer: “So this president before it was even an issue on the Hill took great measures with testing and he will do the same for vaccines. And I would just note, as Dr Fauci said on the Hill today, there are eight vaccine candidates. And on 10 January, we received the genetic sequence, [January] 11th there was a plan developed, the 14th development began. And 62 days later, we entered phase one clinical trials for a vaccine, which is the fastest ever in Dr Fauci’s knowledge.”

When asked what percentage of the US population the White House wants to see tested before the president would declare a coast-to-coast safe reopening, she again turned to Mr Fauci.

“Look, you know, you had Admiral [Brett] Giroir, who said it’s a bad strategy to say that you need to test everyone because testing a person now just means they are negative at this moment, a point also emphasised by Dr Fauci,” she said. “If you get a test today, that does not mean that tomorrow or the next day or the next day or the next day you might get exposed, which is why we acknowledge testing is not preventative.”

On Dr Fauci’s warning about lifting restrictions likely breeding new outbreaks that state and federal officials might be unable to stop, Ms McEnany again painted the infectious disease official as in line with the White House and Mr Trump.

“The president believes in the [administration’s] phased guidelines to reopening, which Dr Fauci signed off on, along with Dr [Deborah] Birx,” Mr Trump’s spokeswoman said. “And we encourage every state and governor to follow [them].”