Poll: More than 60 percent of voters say they trust Fauci, don’t trust Trump on coronavirus

Over 60 percent of voters in a new poll say they trust Anthony Fauci but not President Trump when it comes to information on the coronavirus as Fauci and administration officials increasingly butt heads over the seriousness of the pandemic.

According to a survey from Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday, 67 percent of registered voters surveyed do not trust information Trump provides on the coronavirus, while 30 percent do. Meanwhile, 65 percent say they trust Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, while 26 percent distrust the information he provides. 

The poll comes as some members of the administration distance themselves from Fauci, who has offered a more cautious approach to reopening the country than many in the White House prefer. 

“He may be out of the loop and in disfavor with the White House, but it’s clear from the numbers, voters would like Dr. Fauci back on call,” said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy.

Fauci has increasingly found himself the focus of criticism from the White House, which this weekend sent media outlets a selectively edited list of remarks he made early on in the pandemic that were ultimately proven untrue as more scientific evidence emerged. 

And this week, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro wrote a scathing op-ed against Fauci in USA Today, saying his advice should be taken with “skepticism and caution.”

The White House later distanced itself from Navarro’s extraordinary remarks, saying his piece did not go through normal clearance processes and represents his opinion alone. 

Trump told reporters Wednesday that he has a “very good relationship” with Fauci and said Navarro shouldn’t be making statements “representing himself,” referring to the op-ed.

Fauci, who serves as head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases and is a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, has defended his record, telling The Atlantic on Thursday the administration’s criticism of him only harms the president’s response to the pandemic.

“I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that,” Fauci said of the memo that was released over the weekend. “I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it’s only reflecting negatively on them.” 

“I stand by everything I said,” he added. “Contextually, at the time I said it, it was absolutely true.”