The Washington Nationals will soon be catching something from Dr. Anthony Fauci — and it’s not the coronavirus.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was chosen to throw out the Opening Day pitch on Thursday against the New York Yankees, the team announced on Monday.
“Dr. Fauci has been a true champion for our country during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career, so it is only fitting that we honor him as we kick off the 2020 season and defend our World Series Championship title,” the Nationals said in a statement.
A statement from the Washington Nationals regarding Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/iejxXeAA4V
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 20, 2020
Fauci, 79, is himself a big fan of the World Series-winning team and has appeared in public wearing a Washington Nationals-themed face mask. He has been at the forefront of the Trump administration’s coronavirus response, although he and the president’s relationship has generated headlines in recent weeks.
Peter Navarro drew condemnation from the president last week when he wrote a USA Today op-ed arguing that the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases “has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.” President Trump responded by distancing himself from Navarro’s piece.
“We are all on the same team, including Dr. Fauci. I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “Everybody’s working on the same line, and we are doing very well.”
“He made a statement representing himself. He shouldn’t be doing that,” Trump said about Navarro’s opinion piece. “No, I have a very good relationship with Anthony.”
Fauci, who has led the NIAID since 1984, recently revealed that he hasn’t briefed Trump on the pandemic in more than two months. He was also asked who the public should be trusting for information during the pandemic and said people should be putting their trust in health experts.
“For the most part, you can trust respected medical authorities. I believe I’m one of them, so I think you can trust me,” he said. “But I would stick with respected medical authorities who have a track record of telling the truth, who have a track record of giving information, and policy and recommendations based on scientific evidence and good data.”
