by MPeriod
Posted 3 years ago
The former coronavirus response coordinator in the Trump White House, Dr. Deborah Birx, says she still thinks about the moment last year when she sat silently while former President Donald Trump raised the possibility of injecting disinfectant into people to treat COVID-19.
"Frankly, I didn't know how to handle that episode," Birx said Monday in an interview with ABC News' Terry Moran for ABC News Live's "The Breakdown." "I still think about it every day." The doctor has is the latest former Trump administration official to speak out about negatively about the former presidents handling of the covid-19.
While Trump was mocked and condemned for suggesting people ingest disinfectant to counter covid-19, Birx also was criticized for not speaking up more forcefully in the moment. She said Monday her nearly three decades of military service had kicked in then, and that she only spoke briefly to say "not a treatment" when Trump asked her if ultraviolet rays and heat could be used to treat the coronavirus in people.
"You can see how extraordinarily uncomfortable I was," Birx said, noting that at the time Trump had been speaking to a different official in the room. "Those of you who have served in the military know that there are discussions you have in private with your commanding officers and there's discussions you had in public." Birx said she and Fauci talked "all the time" about "how to correct the record."
"I can't tell you how many discussions we had on, how do we get the message out realizing what's happening at the most senior levels of the White House," Birx said.
Topic: Politics
Tags: Covid-19 Donald Trump Dr. Deborah Birx