Back in March, Donald Trump said he didn’t have “a lot of time” to meet with Dr. Anthony Fauci as the coronavirus pandemic struck the United States.
In newly released audio from a March 19 interview with Watergate journalist Bob Woodward, Trump called Fauci a “sharp guy” who has “done it before.” Still, when asked if he’s had a one-on-one with the doctor to better understand the coronavirus, Trump said, “Yes, I guess, but honestly there’s not a lot of time for that, Bob.”
“This is a busy White House,” Trump explained. “We’ve got a lot of things happening. And then this came up.”
Trump’s remarks came just days after the WHO recognized the coronavirus spread as a pandemic, as Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan reported a surge in cases. It also came just as the spread hit the U.S., the day before cases jumped to over 3,000 from 33 cases two days prior.
On Friday, Trump revealed that he had tested positive for the virus and announced Monday that he’d be released from the Walter Reed Medical Center in the evening. In a video on Twitter from his hospital room, Trump said that being treated for coronavirus is “the real school” and that he’s “learned a lot” about the virus.
“This isn’t the ‘let’s read the book’ school, and I get it, and I understand it, and it’s a very interesting thing,” Trump said in the video posted Sunday. “And I’m going to be letting you know about it.”
