The White House communications office insisted Navarro did not clear his article through them before it was published in USA Today. But the sentiment he expressed -- that Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, had been wrong on multiple occasions during the pandemic -- was the same one White House officials espoused over the weekend when they questioned his record to reporters.
Trump on Wednesday brushed off the episode in the Oval Office.
"That's Peter Navarro," Trump said Wednesday when questioned about the piece. "But I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci."
"I get along very well with Dr. Facui," Trump insisted, stopping short of refuting or condemning the article or detailing any recriminations for his top trade aide.
The confusing and fraught dynamic between obviously warring factions of the administration seemed to epitomize the culture of infighting that Trump has accepted and, at times, actively cultivated during his tenure in office. That it is occurring in the middle of a global pandemic has only amplified the questions of competency surrounding the administration's response to the crisis.
In his column, Navarro wrote: "Dr. Anthony Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public, but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on." He said he only listens to Fauci "with skepticism and caution."
Contacted by CNN on Wednesday, Fauci declined to respond directly to Navarro, saying he would rather direct his energies toward what matters, such as the development of a coronavirus vaccine.
Navarro did not respond to a request for comment about the steps he took before submitting his op-ed for publication.
Earlier Wednesday, White House officials said Navarro circumvented their usual protocols for writing and submitting an opinion article.
"The Peter Navarro op-ed didn't go through normal White House clearance processes and is the opinion of Peter alone. @realDonaldTrump values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his Administration," White House director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah tweeted.
Other White House officials described Navarro as going "rogue" and skirting what are clear rules for publishing articles.
Yet no officials said whether Navarro would face official recriminations for his actions. A hawkish voice on trade and other matters, Navarro is a favorite of Trump's and has retained his standing with the President even as he grates on other senior officials.
Trump has said publicly he appreciates having advisers with divergent viewpoints, and former officials say he often pits opposing aides against one another. Navarro openly sparred with other members of the team negotiating a trade deal with China and some feared his presence at talks could scuttle the agreement. Yet Trump continued to insist he be involved, appreciating his pugnacious approach.
A source close to the task force said Navarro's attacks on Fauci date back to a disagreement the two men had earlier this year when the trade adviser accused the infectious diseases expert of being wrong on the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial that Trump touted as a potential cure for coronavirus despite a lack of evidence.
During that altercation at a task force meeting, Navarro threw down a stack of articles he claimed proved the drug's effectiveness against the virus. Fauci stood his ground and told Navarro he was putting too much stock in an unproven treatment.
"What are you talking about?" Fauci said to Navarro at the time.
Navarro's attitude toward Fauci hasn't changed since that day, the source said, describing the trade adviser's op-ed as further evidence of a grudge against the doctor.
Other senior White House officials have piled on. Dan Scavino, one of Trump's longest-serving aides who now acts as a deputy chief of staff, posted a meme on Facebook depicting Fauci as a faucet drowning the economy with lockdowns and school closures.
"Sorry, Dr. Faucet! At least you know if I'm going to disagree with a colleague, such as yourself, it's done publicly -- and not cowardly, behind journalists with leaks. See you tomorrow!" Scavino wrote.
Other outside allies of the President's, including conservative economist Stephen Moore, say they are preparing a longer list of examples where Fauci has been wrong.
The White House on Monday insisted it was not compiling opposition research on Fauci, who has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, despite sending a compilation of times they claimed he was "wrong" to reporters over the weekend.
Trump told reporters he enjoyed a "good" relationship with the doctor but that they sometimes disagreed.
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