On Twitter, the U.S. President calls his covid-19 response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, ‘pathetic’ after issuing a grim warning about the pandemic.
WASHINGTON D.C. (Times Media Mexico) – U.S. President Donald Trump today called his covid-19 response coordinator, Deborah Birx, “pathetic” after the doctor issued a grim warning about the increase in contagion, now widespread across the country.
Trump, angered by what he considers too much pessimistic media coverage of his handling of the pandemic, said Birx had given in to pressure to sound negative.
Deborah took the bait and hit us. Pathetic!” the president tweeted.
Birx told CNN that the United States, which has nearly 155,000 deaths per covid-19, is entering “a new phase” of viral spread. “It’s extraordinarily widespread. It’s in both rural and urban areas,” she said.
Trump said Birx spoke out after being attacked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democratic opposition in Congress.
Pelosi and other Democrats have said Birx, a recognized public health expert, is willing to tailor her messages to get Trump’s approval. “I think the president is spreading misinformation about the virus, and he appointed her, so I don’t trust her,” Pelosi told ABC Sunday.
The White House jumped to Birx’s defense after those statements.
“It is deeply irresponsible of House Speaker Pelosi to repeatedly try to undermine and create public distrust of Dr. Birx, the lead public health professional on the coronavirus task force,” tweeted Alyssa Farah, director of strategic communications. It’s also just wrong. Period,” she added.
After Birx remarks on CNN, however, Trump changed tactics on Monday.
“So Crazy Nancy Pelosi said horrible things about Dr. Deborah Birx, falling for her because she was too positive about the very good work we’re doing to combat the China Virus, including Vaccines and Therapeutics … Deborah took the bait and hit us. Pathetic,” Trump tweeted.
So Crazy Nancy Pelosi said horrible things about Dr. Deborah Birx, going after her because she was too positive on the very good job we are doing on combatting the China Virus, including Vaccines & Therapeutics. In order to counter Nancy, Deborah took the bait & hit us. Pathetic!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2020
The other main face of the U.S. medical response to the new coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has often been treated harshly by the White House and sometimes by Trump himself.
Fauci’s regular assessments of the disease’s progress in the country regularly counteract more optimistic versions promoted by the president.
Trump has called Fauci an “alarmist,” suggested that he is misleading the public and said last week that it was unfair for the doctor to receive much higher public approval ratings than he does.
