Dr. Fauci Says Trump Has Not Attended COVID-19 Task Force Meeting In ‘Several Months’

Based on Donald Trump’s lack of response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the news that he has not been to a COVID-19 task force meeting in “several months” is not surprising.

Dr. Fauci said yesterday that Donald Trump has not been to a White House COVID-19 task force meeting in “several months” and that the meetings themselves have greatly “diminished.” According to CNBC, Mike Pence leads the task force that used to meet every day. However, meetings have been scaled back to just one virtual meeting a week.

“We certainly interact with the vice president at the task force meetings, and the vice president makes our feelings and what we talk about there known to the president,” Fauci said. “But direct involvement with the president and discussions, I have not done that in awhile.”

Fauci’s comments come when the U.S. is averaging 61,000 new cases a day. On Thursday, a record of 77,000 new cases were reported. The last time over 71,000 new cases was reported was back in early July. There have been 223,000 deaths in the U.S.

According to Fauci, Trump receives all of his information from Scott Atlas and Mike Pence. Atlas is not an expert in infectious diseases and is Trump’s COVID adviser. He has publicly downplayed coronavirus. “I definitely don’t have his ear as much as Scott Atlas right now. That has been a changing situation,” Fauci told MSNBC.

Trump ridiculed Fauci on his final campaign stop this past week, calling him a “disaster” and saying that there would be two or three times the number of deaths had he listened to Fauci.