President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE on Friday gave a vote of confidence to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar amid criticism of his handling of the coronavirus outbreak and questions about his standing in the administration.

Trump called reports that Azar has been sidelined from the coronavirus response "fake news."

"He has the total confidence of the @VP and myself, and is doing a fantastic job, as the numbers would indicate!" Trump tweeted.

It is FAKE NEWS that @HHSGov @SecAzar is “sidelined” from the great job he is doing on the CoronaVirus Task Force. He has the total confidence of the @VP and myself, and is doing a fantastic job, as the numbers would indicate! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2020

It's unclear if Trump was responding to a particular news report, but multiple outlets have reported in recent days that Azar has had a diminishing role in the government's response efforts to the virus.

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Azar did not appear at an on-camera press briefing on Wednesday to address the virus outbreak, and he did not join Vice President Pence on a trip to Minnesota and Washington state that was focused on the government's response.

The HHS chief was originally tasked with leading the White House's coronavirus task force, but Pence has since established that he is leading it, further diminishing Azar's role.

Azar was standing next to Trump on Friday morning when the president signed a funding bill to combat the virus.

Multiple current and former officials have told The Hill in recent days that Azar has been a focal point of criticism and that some in the White House viewed his initial response to the coronavirus as too alarmist.

Trump has repeatedly sought to reassure the public that the virus is under control and that the government's response has been effective, even as new cases are reported each day.

There are more than 230 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. as of Friday, including the dozens of people who were repatriated from China and the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Fourteen people have died from the virus thus far.