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Megyn Kelly grills Trump on COVID response: ‘You made Fauci a star’
The New York Post ^ | 09/14/2023 | Ryan King

Posted on 09/14/2023 10:28:39 AM PDT by thegagline

Journalist Megyn Kelly interrogated former President Donald Trump this week over his elevation of the controversial Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic — noting that the 45th president formally honored Fauci before departing the White House.

“Not only did you not fire Fauci, who is loathed by many — millions of Republicans in particular, but also some Democrats — you made him a star,” Kelly said during an interview that aired on SiriusXM.

“This is the criticism of you, that you made him the face of the White House Coronavirus Task Force — he was out at every presser — that he was running herd for the administration on COVID, and that you actually gave him a presidential commendation before you left office. Wouldn’t you like a do-over on that?” she asked.

Trump denied knowing who gave Fauci a presidential commendation, which was awarded during his last full day in the White House, Jan. 19, 2021. “I overrode many of the things he did. He was much less important to me,” Trump contended. “Now, with that all being said, he’s been there for years. He was respected. He lost a lot of the respect because of COVID.” *** “I never got I think the credit that I deserved on COVID.”

Another grievance among conservatives has been the development on Trump’s watch of the COVID-19 vaccine, which has limited serious illness but has not been effective at stopping transmission of the virus.

“I never gave mandates and people have to make up their own, you know, make their own decision, as far as I’m concerned,” Trump said of the vaccines. ***

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bushcrimefamily; covid; gaggingonbiden; megynkelly; nevertrumper; nevertrumpingtroll; rinos4desantis; rinosaretraitors; thefagline; trumpinterview; vaccines
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To: gibsonguy

Oh. So the media would have crucified him. Well, then. I guess all is forgiven. The loss of freedom, the mask mandates, the increase in the suicide rate, the rise in drug and alcohol addiction and death, the school closures, we can just ignore all of that because Trump would have been criticized.


21 posted on 09/14/2023 10:55:03 AM PDT by nonliberal (Z.)
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To: thegagline
"You made Fauci a star."

That's not how I remember it: the media made Fauci a star - he was the good guy, the "man of science," and Trump was the bad guy. It was obvious at the time that the relationship between Trump and Fauci was a bit strained.
22 posted on 09/14/2023 10:55:44 AM PDT by Steve_Seattle
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To: McGruff
"...That's BS. Falsi would have been in charge no matter who was president..."

This is true. Trump was the Chief Executive. His job is to take advice from experts, lay the groundwork so resources are pulling in the same direction, and ensuring that appropriate resouces and funds are allocated.

And like it or not, Fauci, Birx, and others were the ones recommended to Trump and nominated. We have seen that many of these lousy recommendations were made by deceptive people who in retrospect, clearly did not have the interests of the Administration or its policies in the forefront.

I never ONCE heard President Trump even hint that vaccinations, once developed, should be mandatory, or that the country should be shut down. His job was, to set up the field for a race to develop a vaccine and make sure the resources were available to incentivize it.

His job was not to develop the vaccine, but to enable the "trusted" experts to do so.

All the people attacking Trump on this are the same mindless douchebags who adore policy wonks like Bill Clinton or Al Gore who claimed to have a handle on the details of things from top to bottom.

That makes for a lousy Chief Executive in most cases.

23 posted on 09/14/2023 10:59:41 AM PDT by rlmorel ("If you think tough men are dangerous, just wait until you see what weak men are capable of." JBP)
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To: thegagline

The Trump Administration’s COVID response is a prime example of how Trump talks a good game but was ineffective when it came to controlling the bureaucracy he was in charge of. They ran circles around him a lot of times.


24 posted on 09/14/2023 11:02:04 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard (When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.)
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To: thegagline

Fair charges


25 posted on 09/14/2023 11:02:33 AM PDT by silverleaf (Inside Every Progressive Is A Totalitarian Screaming To Get Out” —David Horowitz)
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To: euram; All

I tend to agree. If Trump did what the revisionist are now saying he should have done it would just not have worked. Btw, the media made Fauci more than Trump did. Trump brought him to the briefings because he was running the response do he’s the person who would have the most relevant data to brief. Trump was being transparent. You can definitely fault him for that if you want but just saying Trump made him is BS. Trump often times openly disagreed with him and the media said that Trump was going people as a result. What Trump could have done was get the information in the background and tell his Press Secretary what he wants the messaging to be and we wouldn’t know the thought process. This is what transparency brought. Really, people looking backwards wish Trump was more traditional in his approach and just lied to us through a 3rd party. Sorry, this is one od the things I love about Trump and how he managed the government.


26 posted on 09/14/2023 11:06:02 AM PDT by wiseprince (Me)
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To: JoSixChip; All

Yea, and Trump also brought out differing views and the media just ignored them. The media made Fauci(in his current iteration) not Trump. When Trump brought out Atlas, the media didn’t care. They could have just as easily made him the star.


27 posted on 09/14/2023 11:08:38 AM PDT by wiseprince (Me)
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To: Parley Baer

Of course Kelly loves Fauci and probably is sextuple boosted. But it’s an excuse to try and stick a knife in Trump, so she’ll take it.


28 posted on 09/14/2023 11:10:10 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: Missouri gal

“Fauci was his biggest mistake and he should own it”

I think you’ll win the Powerball before you hear Trump “owning” a mistake. It’s not in his personality.

He’s got a lot of great points to recommend him, but that kind of humility and ability to admit his faults is just not one of them.


29 posted on 09/14/2023 11:15:22 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: thegagline

I missed the interview, when was it, where is the link? Has Trump posted any whine about it yet?


30 posted on 09/14/2023 11:16:05 AM PDT by Reno89519 (DeSantis 2024. Successful Governor, Honorable Veteran, Respectful, Respected. No Baggage, No Drama.)
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To: thegagline
Hindsight is 20/20.

We did not know how corrupt the CDC, NIAID, and pharmaceutical industry were until later.

31 posted on 09/14/2023 11:17:12 AM PDT by Widget Jr (🇺🇸 Trump 2024 🇺🇸)
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To: Mr. K
NO ONE had good information at the beginning. NO ONE knew what the deep state was planning.

And everyone was driven into a fear frenzy from the corrupt media and institutions at every level. Heck, Cuomo even made us NY'r buy a meatball when we walked up to the bar to get a beer, that's how dangerous this was. Then, Weingarten said teachers would die if they didn't close schools for two years. I remember it all. Trump was in a pickle, and to fire Fauci would have been like killing Jesus at that time.

32 posted on 09/14/2023 11:17:32 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: thegagline

This is where Trump is taking credit.
When Covid was released on us, we saw people stepping over dead bodies in China.
We saw people in hazmat suites fogging disinfectants on the streets in China.
It would normally take 12 years for a new drug to make it to market.
Trump did it in less than a year.

https://righttotry.org/president-trump-signs-right-to-try-act-into-law/

MAY 30, 2018 BY GOLDWATER
President Trump Signs Right to Try Act Into Law
Washington, D.C.—Surrounded by patients with terminal illnesses, their families, and fellow Americans who have lost loved ones to fatal diseases, President Donald Trump signed a federal Right to Try into law today, protecting terminally ill patients’ right to try medicines that have not yet been approved by the federal government for market.

“Today, we have given new hope to Americans struggling with a terminal illness,” said Victor Riches, president & CEO of the Goldwater Institute, the organization that crafted the policy and led the national effort to adopt the law. “Federal law now protects the right of dying patients to obtain and use cutting-edge medicines without asking first for government permission.”

The U.S. House and Senate passed S. 204, the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act, with bipartisan majorities. The House effort was led by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The Senate effort was led by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN).

“There is no worse feeling in the world than knowing you’re going to die with no freedom to try medicines or drugs that might actually save you,” said Tim Wendler, who lost his wife Trickett to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) three years ago. “We spent the last three years telling Trickett’s story, trying to explain how important it is to provide hope and freedom to everyone, especially those with terminal diseases. This week was very emotional for our family and every patient and their family who has worked on this bill. We watched the floor debate and vote live, and once it passed there was not a dry eye in the house. Trickett passed away prior to being able to take advantage of the bill, but she would be so grateful that from this moment forward, patients and families faced with a terminal diagnosis will never again be without hope.”


33 posted on 09/14/2023 11:25:28 AM PDT by Haddit
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To: JoSixChip
Trump didn't hire Fauci,

Trump chose to share the podium with Fauci on numerous occasions. Trump also awarded Fauci a Presidential Commendation.

How would Trump know more about a virus or vaccine then him

Had Trump engaged in a modicum of intellectual curiosity, he would have realized that in the history of mankind:

1. There has never been an effective and safe mRNA vaccine, and
2. There has never been a safe and effective vaccine against any coronavirus.

Accordingly, science could not overcome these two insurmountable challenges in record time by way of Operation Warp Speed.

Furthermore, a little research would have shown that Fauci was against utilizing Bactrim as a PCP (pneumonia) prophylaxis during the AIDS crisis which resulted in the deaths of thousands. Instead, Fauci, led by greed, kept looking for a big money vaccine.

A little less hubris and a little more intellectual curiosity would have served Trump well.

34 posted on 09/14/2023 11:29:20 AM PDT by thegagline (Sic semper tyrannis! Goldwater in 2024)
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This wouldn't be an issue if Trump could at least admit he would do things differently in hindsight. Admitting mistakes can sometimes be hazardous to one's ambitions, but he takes it to such an extreme that admitting to one would be such a shock to everyone that maybe people would be less harsh than he thinks.

People have put so much of their ego and their hopes on this one person that if he fails, conservatism fails. It will be like GWB all over again. The Iraq war and the great recession paved the way for Obama. America changed so much because of that, it might not ever be the same again.

35 posted on 09/14/2023 11:34:34 AM PDT by Dat
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To: Widget Jr

You can go back in time on FreeRepublic just by changing the number.

10/3/2020
https://freerepublic.com/tag/*/index?more=3890100

4/29/20 Covid
https://freerepublic.com/tag/*/index?more=3840000

3/30/20
https://freerepublic.com/tag/*/index?more=3830000

3/9/20 Covid mentioned
https://freerepublic.com/tag/*/index?more=3823000

3/5/20
https://freerepublic.com/tag/*/index?more=3822000


36 posted on 09/14/2023 11:34:54 AM PDT by Haddit
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To: thegagline

What matters now is President Trump a second chance.


37 posted on 09/14/2023 11:35:07 AM PDT by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA! DEATH TO MARXISM AND GLOBALISM! Trump 2024, NO more Mr Nice)
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To: Missouri gal

“Fauci was his biggest mistake and he should own it”

From a longtime Trump supporter, his biggest mistake was Pence, followed by Barr, Milley, Sessions, Wray, and others including listening to the advice of Mark Meadows.


38 posted on 09/14/2023 11:35:36 AM PDT by Swirl
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To: thegagline

The media made Fauci a superstar.

Trump was already standing alone against the entire Deep State, and it was politically very difficult to shelve Fauci.

Having said that, Fauci did more than anyone to bring the country to its knees. In hindsight, he was probably Trump’s worst mistake.


39 posted on 09/14/2023 11:48:35 AM PDT by UnwashedPeasant (The pandemic we suffer from is not COVID. It is Marxist Democrat Leftism.)
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To: thegagline

Trump made Pence the Covid Czar. Pence deferred everything to Fauci.


40 posted on 09/14/2023 11:49:39 AM PDT by UnwashedPeasant (The pandemic we suffer from is not COVID. It is Marxist Democrat Leftism.)
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