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Reuters
The clip appeared to show Dr. Fauci talking about President Trump, but he was talking about himself.
Top US government scientist Anthony Fauci has said that an edited clip of him used in a Trump campaign ad is misleading.
It shows Dr. Fauci saying that “you can’t imagine anyone could be doing more” to fight Covid-19, suggesting he’s talking about President Trump.
However, Dr. Fauci was referring to himself and other medical officials.
The infectious disease expert has previously clashed with Trump over how to handle the pandemic.
“In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly supported any political candidate,” he said, in a statement sent to the AFP news agency.
“The comments attributed to me without my permission in the Republican campaign announcement were taken out of context from a comprehensive statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials,” added Dr. Fauci.
The 30-second campaign ad declares “President Trump is recovering from the coronavirus, and so is the United States,” before playing the clip of Dr. Fauci.
However, in Dr. Fauci’s original images, which come from an interview the epidemiologist did with Fox News in March, he says: “I have spent most of my time on this. I am in the White House practically every day with the workgroup. It’s every day. So I can’t imagine that under any circumstances anyone could be doing more. “
In response, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said: “These are Dr. Fauci’s own words. The video is from a nationally broadcast television interview in which Dr. Fauci praised the work of the Trump administration. The words spoken are precisely and directly from Dr. La boca de Fauci. “
President Trump he also defended the use of the clip, tweeting: “In fact, these are Dr. Fauci’s own words. We have done a ‘phenomenal’ job, according to some governors.”
This comes days after Dr. Fauci criticized the White House for hosting a meeting last month that has been linked to a Covid-19 outbreak.
He said the Rose Garden event on September 26, which was held to unveil President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, was a “wide-spread event.” At least 11 people who attended subsequently tested positive for the virus.
Trump also tested positive on October 1 and was hospitalized for three days with the virus.
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But last week, doctors authorized him to hold public events, less than a month before he faces Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the presidential election.
On Monday, the Trump campaign plans a large rally in Sanford, Florida.
Trump has expressed skepticism about measures such as masks and lockdowns to combat the spread of Covid-19, which has killed more than 213,000 people in the United States. He has talked about the prospects of a vaccine being available, although researchers say this is unlikely to happen before next year at the earliest.
Polls suggest that Biden has a single-digit lead over Trump and an ABC News / Ipsos poll found that only 35% of Americans approved of how Trump has handled the crisis.
Who has tested positive in Trump’s circle?
Up to 34 White House aides and other contacts have tested positive for Covid-19 in recent days, according to US media, many of them linked to the September 26 event.
On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health said nine infections had been linked to Trump’s Sept. 18 campaign rally in the state.
- Did this White House event trigger a virus outbreak?
At least one person was contagious when he attended, authorities say, and two cases have led to hospital admissions, with one of those people in intensive care.
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