Immunologist Anthony Fauci believes that the situation in the United States with regard to the coronavirus is "very worrying". - Kevin Dietsch / AP / SIPA

The White House spokesperson said on Monday, "Dr. Fauci and the president have always had a very good working relationship." But in reality, the situation has undeniably become tense in recent weeks, while the immunologist is increasing the number of alerts on the seriousness of the situation facing the coronavirus.

For several days, Donald Trump has multiplied criticism against this renowned researcher, the government's top infectious disease expert, who tirelessly stresses that the United States is in an unenviable position in the fight against the pandemic. "He's a good man but he made a lot of mistakes," said the White House tenant, who has been minimizing the dramatic increase in the number of Covid-19 cases across the United States for several weeks.

All signals in red

Over the weekend, a White House official fueled the attacks. On condition of anonymity, he told the Washington Post of "executive concerns" about "the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong." The same official provided a daily list of the scientist's statements that he believed were incorrect. In this context, does the president always appreciate the advice of Mr. Fauci? "Certainly," replied executive spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany on Monday, apparently anxious to ease tensions. "Dr. Fauci is one of the many people on the task force (on the coronavirus) who give advice," she added.

Faced with the outbreak of new cases in the South and in the West, the famous immunologist sounded the alarm, denouncing too hasty deconfinements and the carelessness of the Americans. “As a country, when we compare ourselves to other countries, I don't think you can say that we did well. This is simply not the case, "he warned.

Our daily update is published. Sundays and Mondays are when we tend to see the numbers dip — and we see that today. Still: 62k cases, rising hospitalizations, and a large jump in deaths over last Sunday's holiday numbers. The 7-day average is now back over 700. pic.twitter.com/5hdQFxQ2OJ

- The COVID Tracking Project (@ COVID19Tracking) July 12, 2020

Statistics seem to prove him right: the United States continues to record nearly 60,000 new daily cases, hospitalizations have doubled since the beginning of June to return to their May level and deaths have increased by 70% in one week.

  • United States
  • Coronavirus
  • Donald trump
  • World