During a rally in North Carolina, President Trump mocked Dr. Anthony Fauci, calling him a Democrat.
At the Thursday event, the president mentioned the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is also a crucial member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, calling him a “nice guy.”
At the sound of Fauci’s name, the crowd booed, and the president made no effort to deter them.
Appearing to allude to the doctor’s early response to the virus, the president said, “He said, ‘This is not a threat. This is not a problem.'”
Trump added that it was “the craziest thing.”
The president also criticized Dr. Fauci’s early warnings to the public not to wear masks.
“He’s a Democrat. Everybody knows that. He’s Cuomo’s friend,” he added.
Trump and Fauci have been in frequent conflict and disagreement over how to respond to the coronavirus.
During the rally, the president also mentioned his chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
“He followed me,” Trump said. “And I said, ‘You know what? I just tested positive.’ He didn’t care. He was in that helicopter.”
It appears that the president was referring to Meadows traveling with him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after his diagnosis.
The president returned to the campaign trail on Monday after testing positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of the month. The president’s physician has since stated that Trump has now tested negative multiple times.
The President says Fauci is a Democrat and is Cuomo’s friend? pic.twitter.com/sxg3Uph4oU
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) October 15, 2020
