Trump vs Fauci: President and doctor spar over unproven drug

In an extraordinary exchange, President Donald Trump and government's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, publicly sparred Friday on wher a malaria drug would work to treat people with coronavirus disease.

scene played out on national television during daily White House briefing on outbreak. Anxious for answers, Americans heard conflicting ones from a just--facts scientist and a president who operates on gut instinct.

Reporters asked both men — first Fauci n Trump — if a malaria drug called hydroxychloroquine could be used to prevent COVID-19, disease caused by virus. A day earlier, when Fauci wasn't with him at that briefing, Trump h called attention to drug.

On Friday, Fauci took reporter's question and got right to point.

“,” he said. “ answer ... is .

“ information that you're referring to specifically is anecdotal,” Fauci ded firmly. “It was t done in a controlled clinical trial, so you really can't make any definitive statement about it.”

He went on to explain that Food and Drug ministration is looking for a way to make drug available to patients for emergency use, but in a manner that gives government data about wher it's safe and effective. Fauci is director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH and in more than 30 years has handled HIV, SARS, MERS, Ebola and w new coronavirus.

Currently, re is medicine specifically approved for treating COVID-19.

But Trump stuck to what his gut was telling him. As two men took turns at podium, Trump said he disagreed with tion that re is magic drug for coronavirus disease. “Maybe and maybe t, ” he said. “Maybe re is, maybe re isn't. We have to see.”

He struck an upbeat te, while trying t to directly challenge Fauci.

“I think without seeing too much, I'm probably more of a fan of that ... maybe than anybody, ” he said. "But I'm a big fan, and we'll see what happens. And we all understand what doctor said is 100% correct. It's early.

"You kw, I see things that are impressive ... we're going to kw soon," president ded. “And it's very effective. It's a strong — it's a strong drug. So, we'll see.”

Hydroxychloroquine and a similar drug — chloroquine — are available w and can be prescribed off-label by doctors in United States. y may interfere with coronavirus being able to enter cells, and some scientists have reported possible encouraging signs in test-tube and or small studies.

Or scientists are skeptical that those promising test-tube results will translate to benefits for patients.

Fauci has a history of being fact-based counterpoint to Trump ministration's upbeat assessments of coronavirus outbreak.

After Fauci said weeks ago that even with all deliberate speed a vaccine could take a year to 18 months, Trump told a political rally one could be rey “relatively soon."

As ministration officials repeatedly assured public that coronavirus tests were rapidly becoming available, Fauci at a congressional hearing said lack of widespre testing was “a failing” of system. Although Fauci has publicly supported Trump's travel restrictions to try to keep virus out, he warned public worst was coming even as Trump suggested crisis was under good control.

On Friday at White House podium, Fauci's caution did little to dampen Trump's enthusiasm.

“Look, it may work and it may t work and I agree with doctor," Trump said. “It may work, it may t work. I feel good about it. That's all it is. Just a feeling. You kw, I'm a smart guy. I feel good about it. And we're going to see. You're going to see soon eugh.”

two even debated safety of malaria drug, with Trump saying it has a proven record and Fauci cautioning that safety has to be validated again because it would be used to treat coronavirus disease, which is different.

In end, scientist seemed to be trying to find a way to avoid a direct confrontation with president.

“, re really isn't that much of a difference in many respects with what we're saying,” Fauci tried to explain. “ president feels optimistic about something. His feeling about it. What I'm saying is that it might — it might be effective.”

It wasn’t just Trump with whom Fauci took issue.

In answer to a reporter’s question, he called a suggestion by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin that ministration was overreacting, given that thousands of people die on highways every year, a “false equivalency." He ded: “I don’t think with any moral conscience you can say, ‘Why don’t we just let it rip and happen and let X percent of people die?'"

And asked about ecomist Kevin Hassett’s suggestion that all Americans be tested so that uninfected people can get back to work, Fauci said, “I don't connect dots re." Even if it might be nice to kw test results, it will take social distancing to slow spre.

For most people, virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older ults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.