Donald Trump is receiving bad information from the newest member of the coronavirus task force, Dr. Scott Atlas. That charge come from Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s leading experts on infectious diseases. Atlas is a radiologist and frequent Fox News contributor who Trump appointed to the panel. He has no background in infectious diseases.
Atlas was recruited because he has many of the same positions on the pandemic as Trump, such as the effectiveness of wearing a face mask. Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx and CDC director Robert Redfield are strong proponents of mask wearing. Atlas has questioned whether masks have slowed the virus’ spread. Fauci said in an interview on CNN:
“When it comes to a mask … I can just tell you how I feel. And what I feel is not very much different from what has been expressed by Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC. Masks are critically important in preventing the transmission and acquisition of SARS coronavirus 2. The data are strong. There’s no doubt about that,” Fauci said.
Fauci also said of Dr. Atlas:
“If I have an issue with someone, I’ll try and sit down with them and let them know why I differ with them and see if we can come to some sort of resolution,” Fauci said. “So, I mean my differences with Dr. Atlas, I’m always willing to sit down and talk with him and see if we could resolve those differences.”
Fauci also has issues with Fox News:
“Some of the media that I deal with really kind of—I wouldn’t say distort things but certainly give opposing perspectives on what seems to be a pretty obvious fact,” he added. “If you listen to Fox News, with all due respect to the fact that they do have some good reporters, some of the things that they report there are outlandish, to be honest with you.”
