Politics
Dr Birx had ‘very uncomfortable, very difficult’ call with Trump after publicly warning about severity of Covid pandemic
CORONAVIRUS expert Dr Deborah Birx said she had “very uncomfortable, very difficult” call with former President Trump after publicly warning about the severity of the pandemic.
Birx said the call came after she appeared on CNN in August and warned people about coronavirus spread.
DR Deborah Birx said she had a ‘very uncomfortable, very difficult’ call with Donald Trump after she warned the public about the severity of Covid[/caption]
The former President’s call reportedly came in August as she warned Covid would look drastically different than it did in early days[/caption]
Birx’ revelation was revealed in a clip from the documentary COVID WAR: The Pandemic Doctors Speak Out, which aired on CNN at 9pm on Sunday.
The doctor told CNN correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta the report got “horrible pushback” and that “everybody in the White House was upset” about the appearance.
Birx said she brought “clarity” to the public about the pandemic.
After her appearance, she said she got a call from then-President Trump himself.
“It was very uncomfortable, very direct and very difficult to hear,” Birx revealed.
Gupta then asked her if she were threatened during her phone conversation.
Birx said her call with Trump was ‘very uncomfortable, very direct and very difficult to hear’[/caption]
Trump was criticized by some experts throughout his presidency as they say he downplayed the severity of the virus[/caption]
Birx had served as one of the leading experts on the White House Coronavirus Task Force[/caption]
She responded that the call was “very uncomfortable.”
In her August interview with Dana Bash, Birx warned people that the pandemic was shaping up to be drastically different than the early days in March and April.
“It is extraordinarily widespread,” Birx said of virus spread while on CNN.
“It’s into the rural as equal urban areas. And to everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus.
“And that is why we keep saying, no matter where you live in America, you need to wear a mask and socially distance, do the personal hygiene pieces,” she added.
Trump had received criticism from some experts throughout his presidency for his response to the pandemic, with many alleging he downplayed the severity of the virus and did not take enough action against it.
In another clip from the interview, Birx said that many of the US Covid deaths could have been prevented.
“Of the approximately 100,000 deaths that came from the initial surge of the virus, we have an excuse,” Birx said in the teaser clip.
Trump watches as Birx gestures to a chart at White House press conference on March 31, 2020[/caption]
“All of the rest of them in my mind could have been mitigated or decreased substantially,” she added.
As of Sunday evening, the US has confirmed more than 28.7million cases of coronavirus, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
More than 515,000 Americans have died from the virus.
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Infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci is also slated to have an interview air as part of the pandemic.
In a previous interview with CBS’ Face The Nation, Birx claimed someone was making “a parallel set of data and graphics that were shown” to Trump.
Birx revealed in November she would be retiring after she could “be helpful in any role that people think I can be helpful in.”
