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US President Donald Trump pursued top government scientist Anthony Fauci in a call with campaign staff on Monday, suggesting that the highly respected and popular doctor was an “idiot.”
Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, has increasingly become a focus of frustration for the president as he attempts to shape the message about the much-criticized federal response to the pandemic.
“People are tired of Covid,” Trump told his campaign team in a call that was attended by several members of the press.
“People say: ‘Whatever, leave us alone.’ They are tired. People are tired of listening to Fauci and all those idiots,” said the president, according to several US media.
The pandemic has killed nearly 220,000 people in the United States.
“He’s been here for about 500 years,” complained Trump de Fauci, 79, world renowned for his work as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the suburbs of Washington.
“Fauci, if we listened to him, we would have 700,000 (or) 800,000 deaths,” Trump said on the call, before saying it would be counterproductive to fire him before the November 3 presidential election.
The president’s latest attack appeared to elicit a defense from Republican Senator Lamar Alexander’s doctor.
“Dr. Fauci is one of the most distinguished public servants in our country. He has served 6 presidents, beginning with Ronald Reagan,” Alexander tweeted.
“If more Americans heeded his advice, we would have fewer COVID-19 cases, and it would be safer to go back to school, go back to work and go out to eat.”
Trump’s comments came a week after Fauci expressed his disgust at the use of a clip of him in a Trump campaign video on coronavirus.
“In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate,” the immunologist responded, saying his statements on the video were taken out of context.
At various points during the response to the pandemic, Fauci has clarified or corrected Trump’s public comments on the development of Covid-19 treatments and vaccines.
The tone between them has at times become strained, as in April when Trump retweeted a post containing the hashtag #FireFauci, before assuring the American people that “Tony” was doing a great job.
jca / caw / st
