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Donald Trump was on the campaign trail over the weekend in several key battleground states as he continued to play to the crowd and attempt to ramp up excitement leading up to the 2020 presidential election.
As is usually the case, however, Trump made some eyebrow-raising comments during his speech.
After the crowd began shouting “Fire Fauci!”, the president suggested he could fire the infectious disease expert following this week’s election — which takes place on Tuesday, November 3.
“Don’t tell anybody, but let me wait till a little bit after the election,” Trump joked to the crowd. “I appreciate the advice.”
The comments were directed at Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been one of the top public experts regarding the coronavirus pandemic and who constantly clashes with Trump.
The 74-year-old Fauci has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and one of the most respected voices during the coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci, who has advised six presidents, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2008.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 9.28 million confirmed cases and 231,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
