Fauci Says He “Won’t Walk Away” After Trump’s Criticism

“I’m not going to walk away from this outbreak, no matter who’s the president,” Fauci told CNBC.

Yesterday, Fauci criticized the Trump campaign for using his words out of context in a campaign ad praising Trump’s response to the pandemic.

“In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate. The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials,” Fauci said.

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As PoliticusUSA’s Jason Easley points out, “Donald Trump is in the midst of a presidential campaign that he appears to be losing badly. The coronavirus pandemic is surging once again, and his party could be on the cusp of a landslide defeat, so what is the president doing? He is fighting with the one person in America who he should be listening to with rapt attention.”

Trump has often dismissed Fauci’s warnings, arguing Fauci “wants to play all sides of the equation.” A poll earlier this year found that Fauci is the most trusted leader in the United States regarding the pandemic response.