Trump responded by saying he “got along” with the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, but also ignored his medical advice about the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Well you know, David, he was there for like 40 years or something, right?” replied Trump. “He was a part of the furniture. But if you think about it, I really did pretty much the opposite of whatever he said. You know? I actually got along with him, you know? I actually found him–he was a character. He’d say, ‘Just call me Tony. Just call me Tony, sir.’ And, you know, he’s a better promoter than he is a doctor.”

Trump was infamously averse to be seen wearing as mask. In October, he was hospitalized after contracting Covid-19.

As to the question of firing Fauci, Trump said, “Frankly, you can’t win that one. If I would’ve done it, I would’ve taken heat. If I didn’t do it, you know, it’s the same story. But I did what I wanted to do, and I made the correct decisions.”