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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 3 November 2020
Trump threatens to fire Fauci in rift with disease expert

By ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press
OPA-LOCKA, Fla. (AP) —
President Donald Trump is
suggesting that he will fire
Dr. Anthony Fauci after
Tuesday's election, as his rift
with the nation's top infec-
tious disease expert widens
while the nation sees its
most alarming outbreak of
the coronavirus since the
spring.
Speaking at a campaign
rally in Opa-locka, Florida,
Trump expressed frustra-
tion that the surging cases
of the virus that has killed
more than 231,000 people
in the United States this
year remains prominent in
the news. That sparked his
supporters to begin chant-
ing "Fire Fauci."
"Don't tell anybody but let
me wait until a little bit after
the election," Trump replied
to thousands of supporters
early Monday, adding he
appreciated their "advice."
Democratic presidential
nominee Joe Biden tweet- In this April 22, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump listens as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and
ed later Monday in re- Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington.
sponse: "We need a presi- Associated Press
dent who actually listens to
experts like Dr. Fauci." tific legacy, taking that spread of the disease. right before Tuesday's elec- no prior background in in-
Biden has sought to keep step would be politically In an interview with The tion. Deere said Fauci "has fectious diseases or public
the campaign focused on extraordinary considering Washington Post this week- a duty to express concerns health, as his lead science
what he says is a disastrous a Republican president, end, Fauci cautioned that or push for a change in adviser on the pandemic.
federal response to the George W. Bush, awarded the U.S. will have to deal strategy" but instead is Atlas has been a public
pandemic. Trump is coun- Fauci the Presidential Med- with "a whole lot of hurt" in "choosing to criticize the skeptic about mask wear-
tering by using the race's al of Freedom. Fauci also the weeks ahead due to president in the media and ing and other measures
final hours to accuse Biden has considerable biparti- surging coronavirus cases. make his political leanings widely accepted by the
of wanting to force the san support in Congress. Fauci said the U.S. "could known." Trump had already scientific community to
country back into a lock- Former President Barack not possibly be positioned stepped up his attacks on slow the spread of the virus.
down to slow the spread of Obama defended Fauci more poorly" to stem ris- Biden in recent days for Other members of the
the virus. while campaigning in At- ing cases as more peo- pledging to heed the ad- White House coronavirus
Still, Trump's comments on lanta for Biden. Obama ple gather indoors during vice of scientists in respond- task force have grown in-
Fauci less than 48 hours be- praised Fauci's public ser- the colder fall and winter ing to the pandemic. As creasingly vocal about
fore polls close likely ensure vice and remarked that months. He says the U.S. will Trump charges that Biden's what they see as a danger-
the pandemic will remain Trump's "second-term plan need to make an "abrupt measures to slow the pan- ous fall spike in the virus.
front and center heading is to fire that guy, the one change" in public health demic could keep Ameri- Trump's aggressive ap-
into Election Day. person who could actu- precautions. cans home and hurt the proach to Fauci carries
It's the most direct Trump ally help them contain the Fauci added that he be- economy, the former vice some risks.
has been in suggesting he pandemic." lieved Democratic presi- president has countered A Kaiser Family Foundation
was serious about trying The latest flare-up follows dential candidate Joe that the only way out of the poll in September showed
to remove Fauci from his Fauci making his sharpest Biden "is taking it seriously health crisis is to heed the 68% of Americans have a
position. He has previously criticism yet of the White from a public health per- warnings of Fauci and oth- great deal or a fair amount
expressed that he was con- House's response to the spective," while Trump is er medical professionals. of trust in Fauci to provide
cerned about the political coronavirus and Trump's "looking at it from a differ- Biden has also been care- reliable information on the
blowback of removing the public assertion that the ent perspective." Fauci, ful not to endorse another coronavirus. That com-
popular and respected nation is "rounding the turn." who's on the White House national lockdown. pares with 52% of Ameri-
doctor before the election. Fauci has grown outspo- coronavirus task force, said Trump has recently relied cans who trusted Biden to
Trump cannot directly fire ken that Trump has ig- that perspective empha- on the advice of Stanford do that and just 40% for
Fauci, who is not a presi- nored his advice for con- sizes "the economy and re- doctor Scott Atlas, who has Trump.q
dential appointee. Theo- taining the virus, saying he opening the country."
retically, Trump could pres- hasn't spoken with Trump In response, White House
sure Fauci's boss, Dr. Fran- in more than a month. He spokesman Judd Deere
cis Collins, or Health and has raised alarm that the said Trump always puts
Human Services Secretary nation was heading for a people's well-being first
Alex Azar to do so. Even challenging winter if more charged that Fauci had
discounting Fauci's scien- isn't done soon to slow the decided "to play politics" linda.reijnders@cspnv.com