At a time when the United States needs to rely on its medical experts more than ever, President Donald Trump may be on the verge of firing Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Fauci has essentially become the nation's resource for accurate information on the coronavirus, and efforts needed to combat its spread. He has been prominently displayed at White House press conferences updating the country on the Government's response to the pandemic. He has appeared on news shows to be interviewed about the virus and how best to stop its spread. Many in the United States, desperate for leadership and information has come to rely on Dr. Fauci's updates and commentary.
But that is exactly why he may in danger of losing his position.
There are two things Donald Trump craves over everything else. Trump needs to be in the limelight, and he needs to feel as though he is the expert on whatever topic he addresses. Advisors whom Trump perceives as stealing the spotlight from him quickly find that this is a ticket first to isolation within the White House, and then removal. Just ask the likes of Steve Bannon, Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions, John Kelly . . . . Indeed, it has been postulated that the reason Stephen Miller has survived as long as he has because he is adept at working in the shadows, and ensuring that Trump gets the credit for all of the Administration's immigration initiatives.
Concerning Trump's need to be the smartest person in the room, he has ignored advice of career civil servants, made bold statements on issues, particular scientific issues, of which he obviously knows very little, and fired, or threatened to fire, aides who publicly contradict him. During his presidency, we have seen Trump dismiss advice from the national intelligence community, claiming that nobody knows more about the terrorist state, ISIS, than he does. We have seen him boldly profess that California would have less wild fires if only they raked the forests more often. We have seen Trump's Commerce Secretary threaten to fire officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who dared contradict the President when he erroneously warned Alabamans that they were in Hurricane Dorian's path.
Now we come to the world's coronavirus crisis. This is a virus that has shown to be highly contagious. On its own, the virus would cause new cases of COVID-19 at an exponential rate. An infected person is contagious for days before even showing symptoms. The disease has been proven to kill patients at a far greater rate than the flu. Thus, the CDC has recommended that the U.S. population continue to practice social distancing not just for weeks, but for a few months. Otherwise, the rate of new infections will outpace the availability of medical resources to treat the serious cases. Even those with mild symptoms can spread the disease to vulnerable members of the community.
Meanwhile, Trump, who resisted taking action beyond flight restrictions early in the crisis, finally relented to declaring a national emergency and recommending that people avoid widespread contact with each other just two weeks ago. But, the fact that widespread social distancing will cause an economic slowdown has become increasingly harder for Trump to ignore. The stock market, which Trump often uses to taut what he believes to be the success of his presidency, has tanked so badly that whatever gains made during Trump's Administration have been erased. His favorite television network, Fox News, has opined that the cure should not be worse than the disease. Trump slavishly agreed, repeating the thought in an all-caps tweet. He has publicly proclaimed that he wants to pack the pews in churches across the nation on Easter Sunday. He has repeatedly told reporters that he hopes to restart the nation's economy by Easter.
Dr. Fauci, however, has not been shy in correcting the numerous misstatements Trump has made concerning the coronavirus. He noted that the drug Trump touted had not been proven scientifically to be effective against COIVD-19. When Trump infamously claimed that cases in the United States were going down, not up, Dr. Fauci has corrected him saying the he expects things to get worse before they get better. Dr. Fauci has even appeared on television saying that he can't just jump in front of Trump's microphone to correct the President in the middle of press conference.
As Trump publicly states his desire to ease restrictions on large gatherings and business closures, advisors leaked to the press that he is losing patience with the very expert whom Americans have come to rely upon to calm their fears. If Trump remains true to his pattern, that could very well mean that Dr. Fauci's position is on jeopardy. Just when the nation craves clear leadership and a unified strategy to combat a public health crisis, the lack of leadership within the White House has never been more apparent.
By: William J. Kovatch, Jr.
