Washington — The White House on Wednesday attempted to distance itself from an op-ed written by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro condemning Dr. Anthony Fauci and claiming the leading infectious disease expert has been wrong on numerous occasions during the coronavirus pandemic.
White House director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah tweeted to clarify the White House’s position on the op-ed penned by Navarro and published Tuesday evening by USA Today.
“The Peter Navarro op-ed didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes and is the opinion of Peter alone,” Farah tweeted, adding that President Trump “values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his administration.”
Navarro criticized Fauci in his op-ed and claimed the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases “has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.”
The op-ed is nearly identical to a statement Navarro shared with CBS News on Sunday, as top White House officials criticized Fauci’s blunt warnings on the coronavirus crisis amid efforts to sideline the respected infectious disease expert. It also mirrors some of the president’s own criticisms of Fauci.
The trade adviser goes on to list instances where he and Fauci diverged on how best to handle the coronavirus pandemic, including on the use of masks and the closing of U.S. borders to foreign nationals traveling from China, where the outbreak originated.
“When you ask me whether I listen to Dr. Fauci’s advice, my answer is: only with skepticism and caution,” Navarro wrote.
Last week, Fauci was told not to attend a press briefing with the White House coronavirus task force, of which he is a member, at the Department of Education. He did, however, appear at a subsequent task force briefing Friday.
Mr. Trump has vocalized his areas of disagreement with Fauci, including over the effectiveness of masks in combating the spread of the coronavirus and his travel restrictions. The president told Fox News host Sean Hannity last week Fauci “is a nice man, but he’s made a lot of mistakes.”
On Monday, the president said he finds Fauci to “be a very nice person” and has a “very good relationship” with him, but acknowledged they don’t always agree.
While the need for Americans to wear masks has been cited as one instance where Fauci’s views have shifted, other administration officials have offered conflicting guidance to the public about the use of masks or face coverings.
Surgeon General Jerome Adams said in March that “masks do not work for the general public,” but told “Face the Nation” in an interview Sunday that the Trump administration is now “trying to correct” its earlier recommendations on masks.
Adams, who wore a mask during the interview, repeatedly urged the American people to wear face covering to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Paula Reid contributed reporting.
