White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro is going after Dr. Anthony Fauci again mocking him for his first pitch at the Washington Nationals’ season opener.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Monday, Navarro — who serves as Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy — was asked if he regrets writing his previous op-ed criticizing the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director’s coronavirus response while questioning his expertise.
“Peter, do you regret writing the editorial criticizing Dr. Fauci?” Fox News host Brian Kilmeade asked.
Navarro responded with a jab at Fauci, as he insisted he only regrets Fauci’s first pitch during last week’s MLB game.
“No,” Navarro said while laughing. “You know, the only thing I regret is Dr. Fauci’s pitch the other day at opening day. I felt bad for him.”
Dr Fauci’s #OpeningDay first pitch is a metaphor for 2020 pic.twitter.com/on8zSip91L
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 23, 2020
When no one else laughed with him, Navarro shifted to a more serious tone saying, “But, I always look forward and we are all part of the team and he actually tells people to wear the mask and my job is to get them made.”
See Navarro’s remarks below:
Navarro’s latest remarks come two weeks after the release of his highly criticized op-ed bashing Fauci. The White House advisor found himself at the center of controversy after the op-ed was published by USA Today because he reportedly did not receive proper clearance for the release.
Even the White House opted to distance itself from Navarro’s arguments and criticism of Fauci. Shortly after Navarro began making headlines for the piece, White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah released a brief statement addressing the situation.
Farah tweeted, “The Peter Navarro op-ed didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes and is the opinion of Peter alone. [Donald Trump] values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his Administration.”
The Peter Navarro op-ed didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes and is the opinion of Peter alone. @realDonaldTrump values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his Administration.
— Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) July 15, 2020
Trump also weighed in on Navarro’s op-ed, saying, “He made a statement representing himself. He shouldn’t be doing that.”
“I have a very good relationship with Anthony,” Trump added.
