Fauci Claims Pence Has ‘Never Directly’ Asked Him ‘To Be Quiet or Leave’
Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), offered insight into his relationship with Vice President Mike Pence amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an email…
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), offered insight into his relationship with Vice President Mike Pence amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In an email interview published by the Washington Post, Fauci explained how Pence listens to his advice.
Fauci told the newspaper while he is “sometimes referred to as ‘the skunk at the picnic'” Pence “never directly asks me, the skunk, to be quiet or leave.”
He called Pence “a truly decent person, and very smart.”
When discussing Pence’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Fauci said he is “trying to do his best in a very difficult and fluid situation.”
According to Fauci, Pence is “an optimist” and a “glass half full type of person.”
“Some may say that Pence and his team are ‘too ideological,’ but they are after all political people. This is not unexpected,” Fauci said.
The Trump administration previously received backlash for its criticism of the nation’s top infectious disease expert.
Trump told Fox News during a phone interview on July 9, Fauci “is a nice man, but he’s made a lot of mistakes,” as IJR previously reported.
Just days after Trump’s comments, Pence expressed his appreciation for Fauci during a campaign press call, as