President Donald Trump might fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, if he wins reelection.
After claiming Americans “won’t hear too much” about the coronavirus pandemic starting Nov. 4, a chant broke out at Trump’s rally late Sunday in Florida. “Fire Fauci!” the crowd shouted.
The president then said in response, “Don’t tell anybody, but let me wait until a little bit after the election. I appreciate the advice.”
Trump also suggested Fauci has been “wrong on a lot” but that he is “a nice man.”
Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, advising six presidents on domestic and global health issues.
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Trump’s remarks come shortly after Fauci told The Washington Post on Friday, “We’re in for a whole lot of hurt. It’s not a good situation.”
“All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors,” the nation’s top infectious disease expert added. “You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.”
The White House slammed Fauci for those comments over the weekend.
White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere told CNN, “It’s unacceptable and breaking with all norms for Dr. Fauci, a senior member of the President’s Coronavirus Taskforce and someone who has praised President (Donald) Trump’s actions throughout this pandemic, to choose three days before an election to play politics.”
There are more than 9.2 million reported coronavirus cases in the U.S. According to The New York Times, there has been an average of 82,812 cases per day over the past week. This is a 45% increase from the two weeks prior.