An internal memo from Deborah Birx that circulated among top officials in President Trump’s administration pokes holes in the his claim that the country is “rounding the corner” in the fight against the coronavirus and soon will have defeated it.
“We are entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic … leading to increasing mortality,” Birx said Monday in a memo reported by The Washington Post. “This is not about lockdowns — It hasn’t been about lockdowns since March or April. It’s about an aggressive balanced approach that is not being implemented.”
Trump has repeatedly attempted to reassure voters that his administration is helping the country “round the corner” and suggested the virus would soon disappear with or without a vaccine for widespread use.
Birx, a member of the coronavirus task force led by Vice President Pence, has served as the nation’s top expert on COVID-19 data and appeared almost daily on television and during briefings with reporters during the pandemic’s early days.
A top administration official told the Post that Birx has become increasingly frustrated by what she has characterized as feeling “ignored” by White House officials as she and others have warned against a potentially deadly second and third wave of the virus this fall and winter.
The Monday memo specifically referenced Trump’s recent campaign rallies, many of which have involved little social distancing or mask-wearing by attendees.
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Internal memo shows Birx contradicting Trump on pandemic: This is "most deadly phase" yet https://t.co/I9YQsIGMEw pic.twitter.com/fY7ckZfFKm
— The Hill (@thehill) November 3, 2020
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