Trump rips Biden and Fauci for coronavirus 'bad calls' and again suggests the pandemic nearly over

President Trump attacked Joe Biden and the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, during a campaign rally in Prescott, Ariz., on Monday, saying both men have been wrong about implementing strict measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic that has so far killed more than 220,000 Americans.

“This is all a choice between getting a safe vaccine or really a lockdown,” Trump said. “You know Biden wants to lock it down. He wants to listen to Dr. Fauci.”

Trump, who was tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 1 after months of downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic and spent three days in the hospital thanks to the virus, also continued to minimize the seriousness of the disease.

“If you have it, you have it, you get better,” Trump said.

The president has frequently minimized the coronavirus at his campaign rallies, where he entertains large, partially masked crowds sometimes assembled in defiance of local social distancing regulations designed to minimize spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. At his event in Prescott, he ratcheted up the rhetoric another notch, saying people are “getting tired of the pandemic” and implying media coverage of risks of exposure are merely an attempt to depress turnout in next month’s election.

“You turn on CNN, it’s all they cover; COVID, COVID, pandemic, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID,” Trump said. “They’re trying to talk everybody out of voting. People aren’t buying it CNN, you dumb bastards!”

The rally came hours after Trump held a call with his campaign staff that was aimed at boosting morale as polls show him trailing Biden. During that conversation, Trump declared, “People are tired of listening to Fauci and these idiots.” Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and has served six presidents, has publicly advocated for social distancing measures and mask wearing. Though those guidelines have been recommended by most health experts, Trump has pushed to fully reopen the country and argued quarantines and other steps to limit contagion are too disruptive to the economy and public life.

Disembarking Air Force One in Arizona, Trump was asked about his criticism of Fauci on the campaign call.

“Dr. Fauci is a very nice man, but we let him do what he wants to do. He gets a lot of television. He loves being on television, and we let him do it,” Trump said, adding, “Sometimes he says things that are a little bit off, and they get built up, unfortunately.”

As one of the leading experts on the coronavirus task force, Fauci was a nearly ubiquitous presence in the media during the early days of the pandemic. As a result, Fauci earned high approval ratings in polls for his handling of the pandemic, which caused Trump to bristle. More recently, public briefings have dwindled and the White House has been accused of blocking Fauci from giving television interviews. White House officials have denied this.

In his comments ahead of the rally, Trump also accused Fauci of making “bad calls.”

“I like him, but he’s called a lot of bad calls. He said don’t wear a mask and he said don’t ban China. They were bad calls. He admits that,” Trump said.

COVID-19 was first identified in China in December of last year, and Trump has often falsely suggested that some U.S. officials — including Fauci — opposed his decision to impose travel restrictions on China in February. However, Fauci publicly supported the idea and Trump reportedly had to be convinced by the doctor and others to limit travel from China. It is true that, in March, Fauci and other medical experts did not recommend that Americans wear masks to limit spread of the illness, but consensus soon shifted towards advocating for face coverings.

Ahead of his rally in Prescott, Trump was asked why he hasn’t fired Fauci, and he pointed to the doctor’s long record of public service.

“I don’t want to hurt him. He’s been there for about 350 years,” Trump said of Fauci.

Fauci did not respond to a request for comment about Trump’s remarks.