Dr. Anthony Fauci has been a household name since the covid-19 pandemic gave Americans a rude awakening in March, easily becoming the most trusted member of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force. But his frankness about the gravity of the deadly virus—which has killed 137,000 Americans thus far—and the measures everyone must take to protect themselves and each other has never jibed with President Trump’s ignorant optimism or his denial of covid-19’s true toll.
So it is surprising that Fauci hasn’t gotten the boot by now. Despite months of rumors about friction between the two, Fauci is still here, relaying new information and safety guidelines to the public whenever the White House loosens his muzzle. But that hasn’t prevented Trump from retweeting Fauci’s skeptics on Twitter.
From Politico:
On Monday morning, [Trump] retweeted messages from the politically conservative former game show personality Chuck Woolery — who served stints hosting “Wheel of Fortune” and “Love Connection” — which lamented the “most outrageous lies” being spread about the coronavirus pandemic.
“Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it,” Woolery wrote in a tweet shared by the president.
[…]
Trump also retweeted a message from Mark Young, Woolery’s co-host on his “Blunt Force Truth” podcast, which asked: “So based on Dr. Fauci and the Democrats, I will need an ID card to go shopping but not to vote?”
But it’s not just Trump’s Twitter fingers churning out the drama. The White House and Trump surrogates have been going at it too (emphasis ours):
The White House reportedly told various news outlets that several of its officials were “concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things,” and furnished a lengthy list of statements the widely respected immunologist made in the early days of the outbreak that could appear damaging in retrospect.
And from The Hill:
Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff for communications, shared a cartoon on his Facebook page late Sunday that depicted Fauci as a faucet flushing the U.S. economy down the drain with overzealous health guidance to slow the spread of the pandemic.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, whom the president tapped to manage the use of the Defense Production Act, said he personally proceeds with caution before heeding Fauci’s advice.
But this is nothing to worry about because Trump and Fauci are actually totally cool!
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted that Trump and Fauci “have always had a good working relationship.”
What that working relationship actually looks like, however, is a mystery: CNN reports that the two haven’t spoken in weeks and, according to Fauci, it has been two months since he briefed the president about anything related to covid-19.
Still, Trump is holding steady to the “We love Fauci, actually!” bullshit. During a roundtable event Monday afternoon about the positive aspects of policing in America (yes, really), he was asked about the tension he had with Fauci.
“I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci,” Trump said. “I’ve had for a long time, right from the beginning. I find him to be a very nice person. I don’t always agree with him… I get along with him very well. I like him, personally.”
This is what it looks like to get along with the Trump White House.
In other deeply stupid Trump-world news, remember Ivanka Trump’s racist-looking dog? She’s back, and still racist-looking:
- Here’s McEnany with more bullshit oozing out of her mouth:
- Attorney General William Barr reportedly tried to stop Trump from commuting the sentence of his former adviser, Roger Stone. [NBC News]
- Trump allegedly wanted to sell off Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. [New York Times]
- Elected officials in Oregon are blaming Trump after federal officers severely injured a protester. [Washington Post]
- Companies owned by billionaire West Virginia Governor Jim Justice reportedly received up to $24 million in covid-19 bailout loans. [ProPublica]
- .Here’s Ted Cruz not giving a fuck about mask regulations on a flight:
- And here’s Rep. Joaquin Castro dragging him for it:
- Chance the Rapper decided to embarrass himself on Twitter today by validating Kanye West’s shallow presidential aspirations: