The relationship with Dr. Fauci and the White House has been a roller coaster, to say the least.  Dr. Fauci, who leads the Coronavirus task force, has had a tug of war relationship with President Trump since he assumed the position in March.  While laying out guidelines for Americans to follow in response to the Coronavirus, the tension between him and the Trump administration is unmistakable.  As Trump tries to work to reopen the economy, Dr. Fauci was always there to give numbers and data to contradict him, leading to an unclear message from the White House. 

And now, Dr. Fauci has become more obvious with his frustration with the administration.   In an interview with InStyle magazine, he said that while he is “walking a tightrope,” he knows he cannot be fired from the role. 

Last week, President Trump said that Dr. Fauci made “a lot of mistakes,” and Fauci told the magazine that although he considers himself “apolitical,” the “real and perceived built-up conflict” is “very stressful.”

This interview comes out in the wake of top Trump official Peter Navarro's blistering op-ed in USA Today where he said Fauci has been “wrong about everything.”  But Fauci is confident in his position, stating, “I don’t see my termination within the near future because I judge my career by my energy and my effectiveness. And right now, with all due modesty, I think I’m pretty effective.”

Why this matters: America has formed into two different camps over the virus.  One of the camps wants to keep everything closed until a vaccine is available and it is up to the government to enforce a lock down.  The other, believes it should be up to Americans, not the government, to decide to wear a mask, social distance, or close down their business.  As economic numbers continue to slump, and millions of Americans are now on unemployment, the two opposing points of view have many uncertain about the future, and when normal life can resume.  Dr. Fauci is clearly very confident in his position, and as President Trump has already shown in the past, PR is everything.  If it is perceived this interview is a direct shot at the president, there may be a knee-jerk reaction in some form against Fauci and the Coronavirus task force.