A top adviser of Donald Trump clashed with other White House officials in the Situation Room over the weekend over the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19. According to sources, Peter Navarro, Trump’s top trade adviser, bumped heads with infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and other officials as he insisted that the anti-malaria drug could be used to treat the deadly disease.

Medical experts who are part of the coronavirus task force have repeatedly informed Trump about the risk in advertising hydroxychloroquine as a drug that can effectively combat the new strain of coronavirus. Despite their advice, several aides and presidential advisers, including Navarro, still sided with the U.S. president. Navarro is not a formal member of the task force but has been actively attending meetings tackling America’s action plan in fighting coronavirus.

The source revealed that a furious Navarro lashed out at Dr. Fauci while the latter was discussing the latest discoveries on hydroxychloroquine. The adviser even brought a stack of papers with him, saying it was proof that the substance could cure COVID-19. Fauci, however, disagreed with him.

“What are you talking about?” Fauci asked Navarro.

The question further enraged Navarro who, at one point, even accused Dr. Fauci of going against Trump’s travel restrictions on China. His statement puzzled many in the Situation Room, given that the infectious disease expert was one of the first few to urge Trump to implement the ban.

In recent days, Trump has pointed to hydroxychloroquine as a treatment to COVID-19 despite scarce scientific evidence. Despite the recent disagreement between Dr. Fauci and Navarro in the Situation Room, however, Dr. Fauci continues to have a good relationship with Trump.

Meanwhile, Navarro said in an interview following his heated argument with Dr. Fauci that he was qualified to disagree with the infectious disease expert despite not being a physician. “Doctors disagree about things all the time,” he said. “My qualifications in terms of looking at the science is that I’m a social scientist. I have a Ph. D. and I understand how to read statistical studies, whether it’s in medicine, the law, economics, or whatever,” he added.

Coronavirus COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Donald Trump
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, in the press briefing room of the White House on March 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. Cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in the United States, with New York's case count doubling every three days according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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