White House trade adviser Peter Navarro confronted officials with the Food and Drug Administration, calling them part of the “deep state.”
Two sources, who were at a meeting last week, told Axios that Navarro made the comment while demanding the FDA speed up the development of drugs to treat COVID-19.
“You are all deep state, and you need to get on Trump time,” Navarro said at the meeting.
Navarro declined to comment on the report.
The “deep state” has become a reference to a behind-the-scenes bureaucracy working to undermine a duly elected government. President Trump mentioned it when he tweeted Saturday morning that the FDA is deliberately slowing down the approval of drugs.
“The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics,” Trump tweeted. “Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!”
The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives! @SteveFDA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2020
On Sunday, the FDA announced it had granted emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma, a treatment that health experts believe could treat COVID-19.
