Trump criticises Birx over virus remarks

President Donald Trump said White House coronavirus task force leader Dr Deborah Birx hurt the Trump administration when she said widespread virus infections in urban and rural America mark a "new phase" for the pandemic

It was a rare rebuke of Birx. Trump accused her of taking "the bait" by responding to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who told ABC's "This Week" that she had lost confidence in Birx because Trump appointed her and the president has been spreading disinformation about the virus

Trump, in a tweet on Monday, described Birx's response to Pelosi as "pathetic". On CNN's "State of the Union", Birx said her comments are driven by data and that she would stake her 40-year career on using data to implement programmes to save lives.