Salem Radio host Hugh Hewitt pressed Dr. Anthony Fauci over dwindling public confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration throughout the pandemic after continually changing and contradictory messages on key issues.
Citing a number of examples, such as the failure of testing in the beginning of the pandemic, lack of research on masking of primary school kids, dismissal of natural immunity, and moving goalposts on herd immunity, to name just a few, Hewitt declared that he’s “lost confidence in the CDC and the FDA.”
“And I actually believe a lot of Americans, a significant part of America, now have lost confidence in you, Dr. Fauci,” he added. “Is there a point where you will say ‘I do more harm than good because people don’t listen to me anymore’ and step aside?”
Fauci replied, “No. Absolutely unequivocally no, Hugh. Sorry.”
He then explained why.
“I agree with a lot of the things that you’ve been saying,” Fauci replied. “You come from a different perspective than I do but I think the thing that gets lost in the discussion…is that we have been dealing with an evolving situation … and when you have an evolving situation and data are rapidly evolving…you have to evolve with it. And look at the data as it exists now and make to the best of your ability a decision, a recommendation…”
HEWITT: "Is there a point where you will say, 'I do more harm than good because people don't listen to me anymore' and step aside?"
— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) September 30, 2021
FAUCI: "No. Absolutely, unequivocally no."
And there it is. pic.twitter.com/xBH1c3cPyN
Look up @hughhewitt's interview with Fauci yesterday.
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) September 30, 2021
People don't trust Fauci because he said things he knew were false and refused to be transparent about changing guidance.
Imagine if they had been absolutely honest and totally transparent when a course change was needed...
Hewitt continued to press Fauci on the matter but he rejected the "false narrative" that he's the one standing in the way of increased vaccination rates.
HH: And so what I’m saying, though, is there comes a point where it is simply a matter of fact that Tony Fauci in the era of social media is different than Tony Fauci at the beginning of HIV. And if a new face for the program developed, we would see an increase in vaccines and an increase in booster use. So if that data is presented to you…
AF: Yeah…
HH: …that more people would get vaccinated if you left the scene, would you leave the scene?
AF: Hugh, I think that is a completely false narrative that people are not getting vaccinated because of me. I am very sorry. I’ve told you I’ve known you a long time, and I respect you, but I totally reject that people are not getting vaccinated because of me? Are you kidding me, Hugh? Come on.
HH: I’m trying to explain to you the truth. I got vaccinated because of you. But there is a large segment of the American people that doesn’t trust you now. And that can’t be undone. So I want you to be able to just speak to them. I know your heart. I know your public service. But if you’re an obstacle to getting vaccination rates up, should you step aside?
AF: I am not an obstacle to getting vaccinations up, Hugh. That is a completely false narrative that I would have to absolutely reject.