A former White House coronavirus official praised the “unwavering” work of the president’s COVID-19 task force in her departure letter, before accusing President Trump of having a “flat out disregard for human life” and saying the “ongoing response” was “a failure.”
In an interview with the Washington Post published on Thursday, Olivia Troye became the first official who worked extensively on the pandemic response to speak out against Trump, saying that his actions cost lives.
“The president’s rhetoric and his own attacks against people in his administration trying to do the work, as well as the promulgation of false narratives and incorrect information of the virus, have made this ongoing response a failure,” she said.
However, White House officials familiar with her work say she did not raise concerns during her time as an adviser and delivered glowing praise when she left.
“For the past six months, it has been an absolute honor working closely with all of you and your staffs, as part of the brain trust that has valiantly faced the challenges of fighting what has been one of the worst pandemics of our generation,” she wrote on July 23, according to the text of her letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Having been on several conference calls into the late night hours starting in January, to supporting you day and night in every possible way to help you succeed in this mission, I have witnessed first hand how dedicated and committed all of you have been to doing the right thing.”
Trump has faced withering criticism for the White House response to a virus that has now claimed almost 200,000 lives. The issue is at the heart of voter concerns in the run-up to November’s elections, and the Trump campaign is desperate to change the conversation.
White House officials pushed back forcefully on Troye’s version of events, insisting she was a disgruntled former employee.
Troye, 43, worked as a homeland security, counterterrorism, and coronavirus adviser to Vice President Mike Pence for two years.
She wrote that her work supporting the coronavirus task force had been the “experience of a lifetime.”
“I know that this has been hard for all of us, as we watch our families and all Americans struggle to combat this virus and its effects on our country. Know that your unwavering commitment in the midst of the hardest times is an inspiration to me and Americans across the nation,” Troye said.
Less than two months later, she told the Washington Post that the administration lost critical months of time because aides to Pence were dismissive of scientific advice, key agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were sidelined, and that Trump failed to embrace masks.
“The mask issue was a critical one,” she said. “If we would have gotten ahead on that and stressed the importance of it, we could have slowed the spread significantly. It was detrimental that it became a politicized issue. It still lingers today.”
She added that although she’s a lifelong Republican, she plans to vote for Joe Biden this year.
In a video posted by Republican Voters Against Trump, a group backing Biden, she added to her claims, saying that in one task force meeting, Trump was even pleased that the coronavirus meant he did not have to shake hands anymore.
In this new ad @OliviaTroye reveals that during a COVID task force meeting, President Trump said “Maybe this COVID thing is a good thing. I don’t have to shake hands with these disgusting people.”
WOW. pic.twitter.com/1W1tQgZCWv
— Republican Voters Against Trump (@RVAT2020) September 17, 2020
At the end of August, she joined the National Insurance Crime Bureau as vice president of strategy, policy, and plans.
White House officials said her role meant she would rarely, if ever, interact with the president.
One who was familiar with her work, said: “Olivia routinely praised the work of the president’s team. She also routinely confided in me and other senior White House officials and never took the opportunity to express any concerns about our response effort.”
On one occasion, after a press briefing, she sent messages to colleagues praising Kayleigh McEnany and clapped as Trump’s press secretary entered the situation room, according to multiple officials.
Another official said she never expressed concern about the way the response was handled.
“When she was here, she would always say how much work it was and how tired she was from the 24/7 focus on COVID. By saying this now, she is only undermining her own work, work that wore her out for the last six months,” he said.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said Troye’s claims were untrue. “Outside of generally watching the White House Coronavirus Taskforce from the overflow staff room, this disgruntled former detailee was never in private meetings with the President and her assertions have no basis in reality and are flat out inaccurate,” he said.
Troye did not respond to request for comment.
