Dr. Deborah Birx, who was one of the White House’s main coronavirus response coordinators, said on Friday that she considered leaving former President Donald Trump, whose arrogant attitude toward fighting the disease created consternation among officials in public health.
Birx, in a clip released by CBS News’ “Face The Nation”, said he “always” considered giving up, especially when colleagues began to see it differently after becoming one of the faces of the coronavirus pandemic response under Trump. The full interview will air on Sunday.
“I mean, why would you want to go through this every day? Colleagues that I have known for decades – decades – in that experience, because I was at the White House, decided that I had become that political person, even though they have known each other forever “, she said in the interview.
“I had to ask myself every morning: is there anything I think I can do that would be helpful in responding to this pandemic? And it is something I asked myself every night,” said Birx.
Birx, who was criticized for traveling and hosting Thanksgiving with her family while Covid-19 cases skyrocketed, was in the White House meeting room in April 2020 when Trump suggested that injecting bleach or other disinfectants – well like light – they could kill the virus. She was visibly uncomfortable when the president turned to her and asked if she had ever heard about the heat killing the virus in humans.
His comments came a day after Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the government’s other leading public health experts, said he felt comfortable talking honestly about Covid-19 now that Trump is out of office. Fauci said the new government was committed to being “completely transparent, open and honest”, a sharp break with Trump’s White House, when Fauci said he often felt there would be repercussions for speaking honestly about the pandemic.
Birx, who said she never hid information from the public, suggested in the interview that she felt trapped in trying to work effectively with the Trump administration in combating Covid-19, which prompted her to reshape public messages.
“And, when it became a point where … I wasn’t getting anywhere, and it was just before the election, I wrote a very detailed communication plan – what needed to happen the day after the election and how it should happen to be executed, “she said.” And, there were a lot of promises that would happen. “
Last December, Birx said in an interview with the news website Newsy that he plans to retire, but has not given a deadline for his departure. She said at the time that she wants to first help President Joe Biden’s team “in any capacity” with its response to the coronavirus.
