Advertisement

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta Calls Dr. Fauci’s Low Profile a ‘Loss for the Country’ (Video)

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta said on Tuesday he speaks to Dr. Anthony Fauci regularly and finds his absence from public life “a loss for the country.”

Asked by “Inside Politics” anchor John King what it means that Fauci recently said he hasn’t spoken to President Donald Trump in two weeks, the network’s chief medical correspondent said, “I talk to Dr. Fauci on a regular basis and I think that he’s a truth-teller. I find it helpful. He’s a truth-teller. These are difficult truths. No one likes what’s happening in the country right now, nobody. It’s tough on everyone but the truths need to be told. There needs to be this honesty out there and Dr. Fauci is one of these people.”

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had been the public face of the White House’s coronavirus task force since February but has been noticeably low-profile in recent weeks as public briefings on the pandemic have all but halted.

Also Read: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta Tells Chris Cuomo to Stop Broadcasting With Coronavirus (Video)

“The fact that the president’s not leaning on him when other public health agencies all over the world lean on him — he’s not just considered this person of knowledge here in the United States, but around the world — I think it’s a loss. It’s a loss for the country not to be hearing from him on a regular basis and it makes me worried that people are not wanting to hear from him because they don’t like what he has to say. I don’t enjoy it either but we all need to be hearing this,” Gupta added.

As American businesses continue opening in stages, criticism has come down from public officials that the general population isn’t being mindful of social distancing guidelines or heading repeated warnings to wear masks. Trump himself has refused to be seen in public with a mask, though presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has sported one on numerous occasions.

On Fox News Monday, “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade railed against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for saying he would re-implement some coronavirus-related crackdowns if residents didn’t start being more conscientious of guidelines. Kilmeade called him “Mr. Tough Guy” and encouraged him to direct his ire toward those protesting in the streets against systemic racism instead, highlighting the divide between Americans who are still worried about the pandemic and those who are demonstrating readiness to get on with their lives.

>> @DrSanjayGupta on Dr. Fauci's low profile lately: "It's a loss. It's a loss for the country not to be hearing from him on a regular basis — and it makes me worry that people are not wanting to hear from him because they don't like what he has to say." pic.twitter.com/sx5bbqA6dz

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 16, 2020

Read original story CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta Calls Dr. Fauci’s Low Profile a ‘Loss for the Country’ (Video) At TheWrap