A frustrated and at times foul-mouthed President Donald Trump claimed on a campaign call that people are tired of hearing about the deadly pandemic which has killed more than 215,000 Americans and trashed Dr Anthony Fauci as a “disaster” who has been around for “500 years.”
Referring to Fauci and other health officials as “idiots,” Trump declared the country ready to move on from the health disaster, even as cases are again spiking and medical experts warn the worst may be yet to come.
Baselessly claiming that if Fauci was in charge more than half a million people would be dead in the United States, Trump portrayed the recommendations offered by his own administration to mitigate spread of the disease as a burdensome annoyance.
“People are tired of Covid.
I have these huge rallies,” Trump said, phoning into a call with campaign staff from his namesake hotel in Las Vegas, where he spent two nights amid a western campaign swing.
“People are saying whatever. Just leave us alone. They’re tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots.
“Fauci is a nice guy,” Trump went on. “He’s been here for 500 years.”
Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and is a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
At almost the same time Trump was fuming on the phone, Fauci was being awarded the National Academy of Medicine’s first-ever Presidential Citation for Exemplary Leadership during a virtual ceremony. Fauci said that he was “speechless” while receiving the recognition.
Trump openly criticised Fauci as his campaign is currently airing a television ad featuring the doctor that implies Fauci endorsed Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
Fauci has disputed the ad, saying his words were taken out of context, and asked the campaign to take it down.
But the ad was widely seen as an acknowledgment by the President’s campaign staff that Fauci has credibility with voters who have rejected Trump’s response.
The President is trailing in polling to Democratic rival Joe Biden in part due to his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump recently returned to the campaign trail after being diagnosed with the virus himself and has shunned public health protocols for his political rallies. On the call, the President again mocked Biden’s social distancing measures.
Trump’s attempt to shore up his campaign staff 15 days before Election Day came amid widespread worries among Republicans that his inability to hone a final message will have dire effects not only for his own race but for control of the US Senate.
Even as his anger was evident on the call, Trump sought to project optimism.”This is the single best I have ever been in any campaign,” Trump said regarding his re-election chances.
“Today is the best single day that I’ve felt on either campaign.””We are going to win,” he said “I wouldn’t have said that three weeks ago.
“After stories emerged about early campaign finger-pointing ahead of a potential loss, Trump insisted he was satisfied with the work his team is doing – including his chief of staff Mark Meadows, who has been blamed internally for badly mismanaging Trump’s Covid diagnosis and subsequent hospitalisation.
“I love Mark Meadows. It took me two years to get him out of Congress. Mark Meadows is doing a good job. I’m not dismissing him.”
