Throughout January, February, and March of this year, Trump downplayed the outbreak in the US, saying, "we have it totally under control", "it will disappear", and, "America will again and soon be open for business".
However, Fauci and other top government officials – including health secretary Alex Azar and trade adviser Peter Navarro – have painted a more sobering picture.
In congressional hearings and public press briefings, Fauci has repeatedly contradicted Trump's positive narrative, which has at times seemed to frustrate the president.
Trump recently retweeted a call from a Republican congresswoman to fire Fauci after he said the US's slow response to COVID-19 has cost lives.