Fauci takes on a new role: Biden’s Covid whisperer

Source: Politico | March 11, 2021 | Sarah Owermohle, Erin Banco and Adam Cancryn

Few others cast as long a shadow as Fauci — who over the last year has given America a crash course in epidemiology — especially with top health posts vacant.

When President Joe Biden wanted to know more about his administration’s plan to relax safety guidelines for vaccinated Americans, he turned to Anthony Fauci.

During a meeting last Friday evening in the Oval Office, it was Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, who walked the president through a policy drafted by experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It wasn’t that Biden didn’t trust the CDC or its director, Rochelle Walensky, or value their input. But as with other major policy announcements, the president turned to his old friend Fauci for a rundown.

The straight-talking infectious disease expert has developed an increasingly close relationship with the president, who now leans on Fauci more than any other health official to guide his pandemic response, according to three senior officials with knowledge of Biden’s thinking. Through dinners and White House conversations, the pair has built on a connection that began early in the Obama administration, during the scramble to respond to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic.

Few others cast as long a shadow as Fauci — who over the last year has given America a crash course in epidemiology — especially with top health posts vacant. Vivek Murthy, a favorite Biden adviser during the transition and nominee for surgeon general, is waiting for Senate confirmation, as is Xavier Becerra, Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration has not named a nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees drugs and vaccines.

In the meantime, Fauci’s ascension from his longtime post leading the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has left newer health officials such as Walensky playing catch up. While she and other senior health experts are included in conversations with the president about the state of the pandemic, Fauci often takes the lead — deferring to the CDC director for specifics on topics such as testing or the genetic sequencing of virus variants, according to the three people familiar with the meetings.

The White House declined to comment for this story. But Fauci insists that his regular talks with Biden are simply a product of being in Washington D.C., while other top advisers are dispersed throughout the country during the pandemic. The CDC is headquartered in Atlanta, and most advisers still tap into Zoom for the Oval briefings, Fauci said. “It’s not that there’s anything special about me.”

Being near the White House and in its hallways has its benefits. Fauci has had lengthy conversations with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris that few others have enjoyed in the early days of the administration. Before one vaccination event at the White House, Fauci spent an hour and a half with Biden and Harris, casually discussing vaccine priorities, concerning coronavirus strains and when Americans could go back to business as usual.

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  • Consistent #47904

    EVERYDAY #47912

    Not at all surprising. I suppose there is a certain affinity between the two because they are about the same age. But also — this president unlike the last one knows a real expert when he sees one. Dr. Fauci has served every president since Ronald Reagan and all but one relied upon him for wise counsel. President Biden would be a fool like his predecessor if he ignored Dr. Fauci.

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