Tony's Diary Package — page 132

sing President Donald Trump reacts as Dr. Anthony Fauci steps away from the podium after speaking and answering questions at the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House on April 22, 2020.Jonathan Ernst / Reuters April 25, 2020, 3:22 PM EDT / Updated April 25, 2020, 4:14 PM EDT By Monica Alba, Kristen Welker and Carol E. Lee WASHINGTON -- Until this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci was a near-constant presence at the daily coronavirus task force briefings at the White House. As the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 35 years, his expertise on the global pandemic has been a reassuring force for millions of Americans concerned about how COVID-19 has uprooted their lives. Of the roughly 50 press conferences on the health crisis so far, Fauci had only missed a handful. But now, for the first time since regular press conferences began on the topic, Fauci was only present for one of seven briefings this week. While Fauci gave media interviews throughout the week, his absence at the podium Friday was notable given the president's controversial remarks a day earlier about using light and disinfectants to possibly treat the deadly respiratory illness. And though Fauci regularly shares his decades-long infectious disease knowledge publicly, one administration official suggested there's a preference that Fauci do more of that behind closed doors so it doesn't appear he's on such a different page from the president. "You are here in a certain role, you've got to give advice privately," this official said. Members of the president's task force have taken notice of Fauci's diminished public profile, as well. There is mounting frustration among some of them with Fauci, who has, at times, publicly contradicted President Trump. Adding to the tensions, some officials complain they feel caught off guard by some of Fauci's media interviews. When asked why he was only at the briefing once this week, an administration official tells NBC News that Fauci "does have other responsibilities at NIH. Just because he is not at the briefing does not mean he's not actively involved in task force meetings and briefings."