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White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley called media speculation that President Trump may fire Anthony Fauci "ridiculous" on Monday, though he did not address why the president retweeted a tweet on Sunday night that said "Time to #FireFauci."
The big picture: Trump's retweet came hours after Fauci, who has become a trusted voice and the face of the federal coronavirus response for many Americans, acknowledged that the U.S. could have saved more lives by enacting social distancing much earlier than it had.
What he's saying:
“This media chatter is ridiculous — President Trump is not firing Dr. Fauci. The President’s tweet clearly exposed media attempts to maliciously push a falsehood about his China decision in an attempt to rewrite history. It was Democrats and the media who ignored Coronavirus choosing to focus on impeachment instead, and when they finally did comment on the virus it was to attack President Trump for taking the bold decisive action to save American lives by cutting off travel from China and from Europe. Dr. Fauci has been and remains a trusted advisor to President Trump.”— White House spokesman Hogan Gidley
Go deeper: Trump's #FireFauci retweet could unleash simmering conservative backlash