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White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx came under fire from the president earlier in the day for her response to criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with Pelosi telling ABC's \"This Week\" Co-anchor Martha Raddatz that the task force doctor has delivered misleading information to please the president.

“I think the president has been spreading disinformation about the virus and she is his appointee so, I don’t have confidence there, no,” Speaker Pelosi tells @MarthaRaddatz when asked is she has confidence in Dr. Deborah Birx. https://t.co/LQX09R988S pic.twitter.com/7jYkLY6MI4

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 3, 2020

Though Trump has attacked several groups for their assessment of the coronavirus crisis -- including governors, journalists and heath experts, such as the nation's top expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci -- it was the first time he has fired off directly at Birx, saying she \"took the bait & hit us.\"

When Trump was asked about his tweet about Birx, he at first dodged the question, deflecting to how other countries are dealing with the pandemic, before saying he had \"a lot of respect\" for her.

\"I think we’re doing very well. I told Dr. Birx I think we’re doing very well. She was at my office a little while ago. She’s a person I have a lot of respect for. I think Nancy Pelosi has treated her very badly -- very, very badly. Very nasty,\" Trump said, adding the administration hasn't been given enough credit for their efforts on ventilators and testing.

President Trump says he has “a lot of respect” for Dr. Deborah Birx and Speaker Nancy Pelosi “has treated her very badly.” https://t.co/PfGOoXoywQ pic.twitter.com/7ObstMntfD

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 3, 2020

He did not answer a follow-up question on whether he agreed with Birx's current characterization of outbreaks in the U.S.

Asked about how he could act unilaterally as coronavirus relief negotiations stall on Capitol Hill, Trump said that he could stop evictions through an executive order and could also take action on the collection of payroll taxes -- something several outside advisers have advocated for.

\"PHOTO:
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Aug. 3, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
>

Despite the deadlock on a deal, Trump said discussions are \"very good,\" but criticized Democrats' efforts to secure relief for state and local governments, which he has derided as a \"bailout\" for \"Democrat-run states and cities.\"

The president continued to offer an optimistic timeline for a coronavirus vaccine, claiming it may come \"far in advance of the end of the year,\" and urged Americans who have recovered from the coronavirus to donate their blood plasma, potentially rich in COVID-19 antibodies to fight the virus in other patients.

Ahead of the briefing, Trump signed an executive order aimed at expanding health care access in rural areas and increasing access to care through telehealth.

What to know about the coronavirus:

Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.

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