Dr. Anthony Fauci is suggesting that the president’s physician and those taking care of President Donald Trump, as he has COVID-19, are providing “optimal care.”
Fauci noted during Monday’s CNN “New Day” interview that it is “obvious” he is not “involved” in Trump’s case. He then turned to praise the president’s physician.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases added, “But again, I don’t want to get into talking about the president’s case, because that’s not something that I’ve really been cleared to talk about. But personally, I have not been involved in the direct care of the president.”
“My colleagues that I know, including Sean Conley, are very good physicians, and they’re very qualified,” Fauci said, adding, “So I am really confident that the President of the United States is getting the optimal care that you can get with the team over at Walter Reed.”
Fauci is on the White House coronavirus task force.
Watch Fauci’s comments below:
Dr. Anthony Fauci: "My colleagues that I know, including Sean Conley, are very good physicians and they're very qualified so I am really confident that the President of the United States is it getting the optimal care that you can get with the team over at Walter Reed" pic.twitter.com/zacuT8OWCx
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 5, 2020
The White House came under fire for confusing messaging on the president’s condition over the weekend. CNN’s John Berman said of the president’s physician Sean Conley, “When Dr. Conley lies on Saturday and then gleefully admits to lying on Sunday, you know that politics has taken precedent.”
After Trump “painted a rosy picture of his condition on television” Saturday, as The New York Times writes, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters outside of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, “The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
Trump, however, appeared to push back, tweeting over the weekend, “I am feeling well!”
Meadows told “Fox & Friends” during a phone call interview on Monday, “The doctors will actually have an evaluation sometime late morning and then the president, in consultation with the doctors, will make a decision on whether to discharge him later today.
The White House chief of staff appeared optimistic, “We’re still optimistic that based on his unbelievable progress and how strong he’s been in terms of his fight against this COVID-19 disease that he will be released, but that decision will not be made until later today.”
Trump made known shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.
