Trump says he ‘didn’t really listen’ to Dr. Fauci on Covid-19, blasts him as ‘self-promoter’

Donald Trump has given more of a glimpse behind the scenes at his contentious relationship with White House heath official Anthony Fauci, whom he calls a “media creation.”

“If you saw him throw out the first pitch in Washington, right? He is a better pitcher than he is at what he does,” the former president told Fox News’ ‘The Ingraham Angle,’ referring to Fauci’s much-maligned opening pitch last summer, which completely missed home plate. 

Despite Fauci widely seen as a leading voice since the first days in the Covid-19 pandemic, Trump distanced himself from the health official, saying he often ignored his advice and simply did the opposite.

“If you really look, I didn’t really listen to him too much because I was doing the opposite of what he was saying,” Trump said, also blasting the doctor as a “promoter more than anything else.”

Fauci has become an increasingly controversial figure in the pandemic fight, as he’s received pushback for his staunch approval of lockdown restrictions and what appeared to be his constantly changing stances on the specifics of how to best combat and prevent the virus.

Fauci, however, remains a media darling, as he continues to make the network television rounds and throw out slight insults at the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic.

The infectious disease expert most recently claimed to not be “surprised” about a “breakthrough” of Covid-19 cases from people who have been vaccinated, but get infected anyway.

“With regard to the breakthrough cases of people who have been vaccinated and ultimately have gotten infection, obviously this is something that we take seriously and follow closely,” he said during a virtual press briefing. 

“You will see breakthrough infections in any vaccination when you’re vaccinating literally tens and tens and tens of millions of people, so in some respects that’s not surprising,” he added, going on to say people also need to be worried about new strains of the virus.

Right or wrong, Fauci continues to be respected by the mainstream media and the federal government as the utmost authority in the pandemic. 

After former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, Robert Redfield, claimed on Friday the virus likely originated in a Wuhan lab, Fauci was quick to correct the statement – bizarrely aired by CNN of all channels – as “an opinion as to a possibility,” adding that there are “other alternative” theories that “most people hold by.”

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