Joe Biden came to Dr. Anthony Fauci’s defense after President Trump branded him a “disaster.”
The former vice president issued a statement on Monday following Trump’s comments to campaign staffers during a morning phone call in which he said “people are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots” during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Coronavirus infections are spiking across the country, but President Trump decided to attack Dr. Fauci again today as a ‘disaster’ and call public health experts ‘idiots’ instead of laying out a plan to beat this virus or heeding their advice about how we can save lives and get our economy moving again,” Biden said.
He went on to characterize a mocking attack by Trump during a Sunday rally in which the president said Biden will “listen to scientists” as a “badge of honor.” He further said that all Trump has done during the coronavirus pandemic is “cower and wallow in self-pity.”
“Waving a white flag and saying ‘it is what it is’ is unacceptable when thousands of American lives are being taken each week, when businesses are closing and schools remain shuttered,” Biden said.
“Mr. President, you’re right about one thing: the American people are tired. They’re tired of your lies about this virus. They’re tired of watching more Americans die and more people lose their jobs because you refuse to take this pandemic seriously,” he added.
Trump’s attacks on Fauci are sure to increase friction between the president and the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has strongly advocated for social distancing and has attempted to remain apolitical despite his prominent position on the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
With just two weeks until Election Day, both campaigns have ramped up their efforts to cast themselves as the best choice to lead the country. Both Trump and Biden have been increasing their number of in-person campaign stops, with Trump holding several of his signature rallies since recovering from his bout of the coronavirus.
The coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 220,000 people in the United States, is sure to have an effect at the voting booth. A RealClearPolitics national average of polls has Biden with an 8.9-point lead over the president.
