Trump and Fauci make first public appearance together in months

WASHINGTON — President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared together for the first time in months on Thursday after a string of reports the pair had fallen out amid the pandemic.

The president and the nation’s top infectious disease expert were flanked by other members of the coronavirus task force for an event at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC, where they encouraged Americans who have survived coronavirus to donate plasma.

Convalescent plasma is being used to treat critically ill patients and the Trump administration has committed more than $250 million to the therapeutic plan.

“If you’ve had the virus, if you donate, it would be a terrific thing. We really need donations of the plasma,” Trump said.

“Those who have had the virus: you’ve have gotten through it and I guess that means you have something really special there, so we would appreciate that, it would help a lot of people,” he continued.

Fauci earlier this month revealed he had not briefed the president for weeks as the coronavirus pandemic continued to rage and Trump shared tweets critical of Fauci with his 84 million followers.

After the president’s trade adviser published an incendiary op-ed trashing Fauci as untrustworthy, the Trump administration was forced to disavow the missive.

Fauci has now briefed Trump several times in recent weeks and the two appear to have reached a détente — even if the president still believes the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is a “bit of an alarmist.”

Trump has rebooted his nightly coronavirus briefings which used to be free-wheeling hours-long events where Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx also made regularly appearances.

But the White House has now kept them to brief updates where the president is the only one on stage — earning the praise of Fauci who called them “helpful.”