Former Covid White House coordinator Deborah Birks condemned the 2020 press conference, during which Donald Trump proposed the idea of injecting a disinfectant to treat coronavirus – calling the episode a “multi-level tragedy.”
In an interview with Good Morning America, Birks said he did not regret taking on the role of Trump’s team, although he was criticized for not opposing his erroneous comments more strongly at the time.
Birx is promoting its new book, “The Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19 and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late,” which comes out Tuesday.
Asked how she felt at the time Trump encouraged the use of disinfectants to treat the virus, Birks said: “At first I didn’t even know what was going on. She said scientists and Trump had a discussion ahead of a news conference on how light and disinfectants could help destroy the virus on external surfaces.
She writes in her book that when Trump looked at her as she spoke on the subject, as she sat to the side, she wanted to fall across the floor.
“It was a tragedy on many levels,” she told GMA presenter George Stefanopoulos.
She continued: “I did not understand … that scientists entered the Oval Office and started this discussion there and continued it to America.
Birks explained that she spoke to Trump officials immediately after the press conference, telling them that his statement was incorrect and should be revoked.
“A lot of people don’t know me, but I’m a pretty direct person, so I immediately went to his top staff and Olivia Troy. [a former aide to the White House coronavirus taskforce] and said, This must be reversed. And the next morning the president said that [what he had said] It was a joke.”
Birks has been widely criticized for not strongly and unequivocally opposing Trump on the spot in public, as he not only pondered the very dangerous concept of ingesting bleach to treat Covid, but also downplayed the virus and predicted it would disappear.
Birks also revealed that she had a “pact” with “all doctors in the medical group,” including Anthony Fauci, Robert Redfield and Stephen Hahn, all of whom were on Trump’s working group for Covid.
“If any of the people were under so much pressure and they were fired, we would all leave the task force together,” she said, adding, “I think that was really important because I really wanted to protect Bob Redfield and Steve Hahn.” and they were under enormous pressure. “
Add Comment