Trump calls Fauci's warning against reopening US schools 'not acceptable'
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that a warning given by the nation's top medical advisor over reopening schools was "not acceptable." Earlier this week, the top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci had warned that a premature reopening could lead to a worse outbreak. Notably, COVID-19 has already killed nearly 3 lakh and sickened 43.60 lakh in the US.
'Anthony is a good person, I've disagreed with him'
In an interview with Maria Bartiromo on her show "Mornings with Maria" on the FOX Business Network, Trump said, "Anthony is a good person, a very good person. I've disagreed with him." He added, "We have to open our schools. We have to open our country. Now, we want to do it safely, but we also want to do it as quickly as possible."
Fauci warned reopening too soon could worsen outbreak, economic downturn
Dr. Fauci—who is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)—had earlier said, "There's a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control." He had said that a premature reopening could allow the virus to spread further which could "even set you back on the road to trying to get economic recovery."
Businesses struggle, unemployment rises amid coronavirus lockdown
Trump has been pushing to reopen the US economy as businesses struggle to remain afloat amid the coronavirus lockdown. Around 33 million jobless Americans have also filed for unemployment aid since March till last week. There is also the mounting pressure of the November Presidential election as Trump seeks a victory against Democratic opponent Joe Biden. Biden has accused Trump of mishandling the pandemic.
In April, Trump amplified calls to fire Fauci
President Trump and Dr. Fauci have been at odds before as the latter has supported the lockdowns to curb the outbreak. The internationally-respected expert has since become a target for the American far-right. In April, Trump stirred a controversy after he retweeted a tweet calling to fire Dr. Fauci after he said that lives could have been saved had the lockdown been imposed sooner.
