Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Trump Officials Are Attacking Anthony Fauci. Thousands Of Doctors Are Hitting Back.

Trump Officials Are Attacking Anthony Fauci. Thousands Of Doctors Are Hitting Back.

"You cannot have a competent public health response without a clear communication strategy," one top medical expert said of the White House’s moves against Fauci. "This isn't it."

More than 1,000 health officials came to the aid of Dr. Anthony Fauci after a White House official published an op-ed trying to discredit the nation’s top health expert who has helped steer the country through the coronavirus pandemic so far.

Peter Navarro, an assistant to the president and a director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, wrote an op-ed in USA Today criticizing Fauci. The op-ed said Fauci has “been wrong on everything” that Navarro has interacted with him on.

Thousands of doctors are now ridiculing Navarro’s claims and responding with a broad defense of Fauci, who has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.

Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, told BuzzFeed News that White House aides trying to discredit Fauci only hurts the Trump administration.

"First of all, the people speaking out against Tony Fauci have absolutely no medical credibility, no public health credibility, and frankly, no policy credibility when it comes to any kind of disaster or situation involving human health,” Benjamin told BuzzFeed News. "They are undermining not just Fauci but everyone in the administration. You cannot have a competent public health response without a clear communication strategy. This isn't it."

Benjamin also spoke to Navarro’s assertion of Fauci “flip-flopping on the use of masks.” In the first months of the pandemic, US public health officials who were worried about shortages discouraged the use of surgical masks for everyone but medical personnel. But in April, the guidance switched to encouraging cloth masks for everyone after evidence emerged that face coverings lowered the risk of infected people transmitting COVID-19.

"The reason Tony has changed his outlook on the virus is that we’ve learned more about it, obviously. I wouldn't say all the same things now I said in the first months,” said Benjamin. “We learn and we change what we do. That is how infectious diseases work."

Fauci, in an unusually explicit public defense of his work and dig at those attacking him, told the Atlantic on Wednesday that the attempts to undermine him are “bizarre.”

“I think if you talk to reasonable people in the White House, they realize that was a major mistake on their part because it doesn’t do anything but reflect poorly on them,” Fauci said. He added: “I can’t explain Peter Navarro. He’s in a world by himself.”

Navarro, an economist best known for promoting his protectionist views on trade with China far removed from those of most trade experts, has also emerged as a fierce advocate of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. The FDA pulled its emergency authorization of the drug last month after studies showed it offered patients no benefits and raised the risks of heart arrhythmia.

Benjamin is joined by thousands of other doctors in publicly defending Fauci. The Infectious Diseases Society of America released a statement Wednesday speaking on behalf of its 12,000 medical doctors, research scientists, and public health experts, saying they won’t be “sidelined” and calling the campaign to discredit Fauci “disturbing.”

“Despite the nation’s vast resources and abilities, more than 135,000 people in America have died from COVID-19 - more than any other country, and the numbers keep rising," the statement read. "Every day now brings a new high in the number of newly infected people and deaths. This is a full-blown crisis, unlike any America has ever faced, and it needs to be treated as such.”

The statement added, “If we have any hope of ending this crisis, all of America must support public health experts, including Dr. Fauci, and stand with science.”

Fauci, known before the coronavirus pandemic for his work leading the charge to research treatments during the AIDS epidemic, also has the backing of the HIV Medicine Association, an organization representing the interests of medical professionals who practice HIV medicine.

In a statement, the organization said Fauci’s “leadership and support of a rigorous scientific process has been critical to transforming HIV from a death sentence to a chronic condition, saving millions of lives worldwide. His voice and expertise need to be amplified not silenced if we are going to get control of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now taken the lives of more than 135,000 Americans and more than 570,000 people worldwide.”

The American Society for Microbiology also wrote a letter Tuesday to Vice President Mike Pence expressing its support for Fauci and other health officials “prioritizing science-based public health strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic​.”

In a separate statement to BuzzFeed News, Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called the "blatant attempts to discredit" Fauci "dismaying."

"Misleading attacks on Dr. Fauci’s credibility could have real consequences in prolonging this pandemic," he said.

During an unrelated White House event on Wednesday, President Donald Trump skirted questions on whether he’s OK with Navarro’s op-ed; he just described the nature of his relationship with Dr. Fauci.

“I get along very well with Dr. Fauci," Trump said. When pressed on the question again, “That’s Peter Navarro, but I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci.” Later, the president told reporters that Navarro made a statement “representing himself. He shouldn’t be doing that.”

But leading up to the op-ed, the White House sidelined Fauci when it issued a statement to the Washington Post on Saturday that said “several ... officials are concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things.”

Others close to the president have also pushed messages discrediting Fauci over the last several days, including longtime Trump adviser Dan Scavino, who posted on Facebook a cartoon ridiculing the health expert and accusing him of using the media to bring the economy to a halt. The piece was titled “Dr. Faucet.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×