Trump takes swipes at Fauci, CDC as coronavirus cases rise
![President Donald Trump on Monday took swipes at health experts in his government leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak, as his relationship further frayed with top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/30e546_b296cc9d336b46d0a1d07b88e09de0f3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_800,h_450,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/30e546_b296cc9d336b46d0a1d07b88e09de0f3~mv2.jpg)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday took swipes at health experts in his government leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak, as his relationship further frayed with top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci.
The Republican president, seeking re-election in November, has been increasingly critical of government health officials and their guidance as a steady rise in infections threatens the easing of shutdown restrictions across the country.
In the early morning, Trump retweeted to his 83 million followers the accusations of a former game show host that “everyone is lying,” including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust,” Chuck Woolery wrote Sunday night without citing evidence.
Last week, Trump said he thought CDC guidelines for schools reopening were too tough, impractical and expensive.
Trump then retweeted an April post from Woolery’s podcast co-host that Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, wants to require “an ID card to go shopping.” As the spread of the coronavirus accelerated months ago, Fauci said it was possible the United States could in the future issue a certification of immunity.
The White House said on Monday that Fauci has played a valuable role in developing therapeutics and a vaccine for the disease, and he continues to serve on the coronavirus task force headed by Vice President Mike Pence.
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