Dr. Anthony Fauci publicly contradicted Donald Trump on Sunday after the president claimed on Twitter the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks coronavirus death rates inaccurately and called the reported death toll “fake news.”
Trump on Sunday railed against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying the agency exaggerates the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
“The number of cases and deaths of the China Virus is far exaggerated in the United States because of @CDCgov’s ridiculous method of determination compared to other countries, many of whom report, purposely, very inaccurately and low,” Trump tweeted. “‘When in doubt, call it Covid.’ Fake News!”
Fauci objected to Trump’s tweet while speaking on ABC News, saying the deaths “are real.”
“All you need to do is go out into the trenches,” he said. “Go to the hospitals and see what the healthcare workers are dealing with. They are under very stressful situations in many areas of the country. The hospital beds are stretched, people are running out of beds, running out of trained personnel who are exhausted.”
“That’s real,” Fauci continued. “That’s not fake. That’s real.”
Trump’s remarks came as the number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States crossed over 350,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 20,000,000 confirmed cases in the country, JHU data show.
The number of cases and deaths of the China Virus is far exaggerated in the United States because of @CDCgov’s ridiculous method of determination compared to other countries, many of whom report, purposely, very inaccurately and low. “When in doubt, call it Covid.” Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2021
Watch Dr. Fauci’s response below:
NEW: Dr. Anthony Fauci responds to Pres. Trump's morning tweet on COVID-19 related deaths: "The deaths are real deaths. All you need to do is go out into the trenches… that's real, that's not fake." https://t.co/kKafPs2tFM pic.twitter.com/84ypgvOcl1
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 3, 2021
