Anthony Fauci: ‘Absolutely Not’ Surprised Trump Got COVID-19 After White House ‘Superspreader’ Event

Dr. Anthony Fauci has said he was ‘absolutely not’ surprised that President Donald Trump caught COVID-19 after attending what he described as a ‘superspreader’ event at the White House. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke to CBS’s 60 Minutes in an interview that aired on Sunday.

“I was worried that he was going to get sick when I saw him in a completely precarious situation of crowded, no separation between people, and almost nobody wearing a mask,” Fauci said.

“When I saw that on TV, I said, ‘Oh my goodness. Nothing good can come out of that, that’s got to be a problem,” he said. “And then sure enough, it turned out to be a superspreader event.”

Dr. Fauci says he was “absolutely not” surprised that President Trump got sick with coronavirus after seeing POTUS at what “turned out to be a super-spreader event” at the White House. https://t.co/Iq75GoCErk pic.twitter.com/iDWEaoX582

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 18, 2020

The event Fauci is referring to appears to the be the Rose Garden event announcing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. According to CNN, at least 12 people have tested positive for the virus following the event on September 26.

Fauci also noted that the White House had been controlling his press appearances, something which was widely understood by TV networks and journalists seeking interviews with him.

“I certainly have not been allowed to go on many, many, many shows that have asked for me,” Fauci said.

President Donald Trump attended a rally in Nevada on Sunday after Fauci’s interview aired. The president said the coountry was ’rounding the turn’ on COVID-19 and took the opportunity to criticize scientists, though not mentioning Fauci by name.

“If I’d listen to the scientists we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression instead of – we’re like a rocket ship, look at the numbers,” Trump said.

Watch the video above, via CBS/Twitter.