'I'm A Social Scientist:' Trump Trade Adviser Says He's Qualified To Argue Dr. Fauci On Unproven Coronavirus Drug

After reports surfaced over the weekend of clashes within the White House, trade adviser Peter Navarro said in an interview Monday that he was qualified to disagree with Dr. Anthony Fauci about the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.

Navarro appeared on CNN’s “New Day” on Monday to discuss the possible rollout of hydroxychloroquine medicines to “hotspots” across the U.S. to treat patients suffering from COVID-19. He told CNN’s John Berman that FEMA had around 29 million tablets ready to send out and that some doctors across the county were reportedly prescribing the drug because they believe it “might work.”

Berman pressed Navarro on why people should listen to him and not the country’s “lead infectious disease doctor.”

“Doctors disagree about things all the time. My qualifications in terms of looking at the science is that I'm a social scientist,” Navarro said. “I have a Ph.D. And I understand how to read statistical studies, whether it's in medicine, the law, economics or whatever.”

Navarro pointed to “preliminary tests” showed promise in the drug, specifically the study done in Wuhan where reportedly “80% in the control group did very well.” However, Berman noted that the Wuhan study was the “only study with a control group” and it was done with “moderately ill patients.”

Berman then presented Navarro with comments Fauci made in an interview Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Fauci argued that the data was “at best, suggestive” and there wasn’t enough evidence that says the drug is guaranteed to work.

The interview followed a report from Axios that Navarro and Fauci had their biggest clash yet on Saturday in the White House’s Situation Room.

Axios reported that included Vice President Mike Pence, coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx, Jared Kushner, Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Commissioner of Food and Drugs Stephen Hahn.

The report cites a source that said Hahn brought up hydroxychloroquine near the end of the meeting and the results of various studies conducted about the efficacy of the drug. Navarro followed by passing around folders with the results from various overseas tests that showed “clear therapeutic efficacy.”

Fauci pushed back on Navarro’s “evidence” and said any test results released up to that point were “anecdotal” because there was no control group involved in any of them. This comment “set Peter off,” who began “raising his voice” at Dr. Fauci and pointed to the documents.

Pence tried to calm down the “confrontation” and mediate as Navarro yelled at Fauci. President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner stepped in, saying that most of the task force agreed with sending the drug to hot zones immediately.

Some in the room were shaken by the argument that had erupted.

“There has never been a confrontation in the task force meetings like the one yesterday,” a source familiar with the argument told Axios. “People speak up and there's robust debate, but there's never been a confrontation. Yesterday was the first confrontation.”