Trump slams Dr Fauci as 'Cuomo's friend' and a 'Democrat' as North Carolina rally crowd boo the Covid expert
DONALD Trump blasted the nation's top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci as being a "Democrat" who is New York Governor Andrew "Cuomo's friend."
"He’s a nice guy, Tony. Tony Fauci. He’s a nice guy," Trump said at a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina Thursday afternoon. "He is a Democrat. Everybody knows that. He’s Cuomo’s friend."
Holding the rally just two weeks after Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, the president slammed Dr Fauci, claiming the scientific expert is wrong on how to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Earlier that day, Dr Fauci had called Trump's large re-election rallies "a risky situation" given how many people are in attendance not wearing masks or social distancing.
"That’s a risky situation," Dr Fauci told Yahoo News. "People ask me that question, and it often gets … pinning me against the president."
"Put that aside for a moment and just talk generically," Dr Fauci continued.
"It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are. When you have congregate settings where people are crowded together and virtually no one is wearing a mask, that is the perfect setup to have an outbreak."
Trump did not reference the article at his rally, but he did continue slamming the infectious disease expert.
"He [Fauci] said, 'This is not a threat. This is not a problem. Don’t worry about this,'" Trump said in reference to Covid-19. "He said, 'Do not wear a mask.' 'Do not wear a mask under any circumstances.' 'Don’t wear a mask.' 'Don’t, don’t, don’t,' right? So we don’t wear a mask."
Trump was referring to early on in the pandemic, when Dr Fauci and other medical experts had asked the public not to wear medical-grade masks as they were in short supply and were needed for medical professionals.
"Then they say, 'Oh, wear a mask.' I never saw, did you ever see any conflicts? But he’s a nice guy so I keep him around, right? We’ll keep him around," Trump said of Dr Fauci.
Dr Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He has advised presidents for over 35 years, starting with Republican president Ronald Reagan.
However, Trump's allegations against Dr Fauci claim the expert is politically biased.
Neither a spokesperson for Dr Fauci nor Gov. Cuomo have immediately commented on Trump's remarks.
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