Dr. Fauci Says Trump's COVID-19 Positive Diagnosis Is A Long Time Coming

President Trump’s diagnosis in the coronavirus outbreak might have made headlines, but top immunologist Anthony Fauci isn’t surprised in the slightest.

“Absolutely not,” said Fauci, during his recent appearance at “CBS News” when show host Jon LaPook prodded him about his first reaction when Trump got sick. “I was worried that he was going to get sick when I saw him in a completely precarious situation ... [with] no separation between people and almost nobody wearing a mask,” he added on the Sunday show spanning 60 minutes.

Fauci comments were directed at the complacency on the part of the Trump administration on Sept. 26, where scores of people arrived at the White House Rose Garden as Trump announced his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The event saw its guests flouting the rules of the pandemic, as they hobnobbed with each other in close proximity.

"When I saw that on TV, I said, 'Oh my goodness. Nothing good can come out of that,' " said Fauci, on the show, adding, "That's gotta be a problem.' And sure enough, it turned out to be a super-spreader event."

The event soon reported over a dozen people have tested positive, while the origin of the spread hasn’t been known.

Trump has a history of downplaying the severity of the outbreak and has rebuked many leaders, especially political rival Joe Biden, for wearing a mask. After having tested positive on October 2nd, the president was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.

Fauci was asked to comment on Trump's aversion toward mask-wearing, to which the physician said, "I think that's less [about being] anti-science and more of a statement ... I think he sometimes equates wearing a mask with weakness."

Fauci who recently reiterated that he will never publicly endorse any political candidate this year made his annoyance clear when he was allegedly misquoted in Trump’s campaign ad. Speaking of which, a visibly irked Fauci said, “Quite frankly I got really ticked off,” while citing his inclusion "outrageous."

Fauci and Trump have had differences in opinion in recent times, with the latter often lambasting the top health expert for his condescending views of the president’s administration and its mishandling of the pandemic.