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Fauci asks Trump campaign to pull down ad distorting his words, Internet says 'sue POTUS for defamation'

'It's so clear that I'm not a political person. And I have never - either directly or indirectly - endorsed a political candidate,' said Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci has called on the Trump campaign to remove a video that showed him praising the president. Fauci dubbed the video as "really unfortunate and really disappointing" and warned Trump's campaign not to use his words again. He described Trump's Monday night rally as "asking for trouble". The advertisement states, "President Trump is recovering from the coronavirus, and so is America." 

A couple of moments after this, Fauci makes an appearance and can be heard saying, "I can't imagine that anybody could be doing more" which creates the impression that he is referring to Trump. Just before Fauci is seen speaking, the advert states, "Together we rose to meet the challenge, protecting our seniors, getting them life-saving drugs in record time, sparing no expense. President Trump tackled the virus head on, as leaders should."

The ad then encourages the American public to "live carefully but not afraid" in what seems to be a reference to Trump's earlier message where he told people not to be scared of the virus. Fauci who is the head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases was left outraged at the advert which started to air once Trump was released from the hospital post being diagnosed with coronavirus. 

The campaign features Trump's personal experience with coronavirus before cutting to a video of Fauci. On Monday night, October 12, Fauci insisted and warned the campaign that they need to remove the advert. He appeared to stop short of resigning, the Daily Mail reports. 

During an interview with CNN, Fauci said, "It's so clear that I'm not a political person. And I have never - either directly or indirectly - endorsed a political candidate. And to take a completely out of context statement and put it in which is obviously a political campaign ad, I thought was really very disappointing."

Many social media users rallied behind Fauci and took to the comments section to say so. One such user had written, "Poor Fauci having to spend even one day with this administration will probably seriously damage his career." Another user had commented and said, "Please sue him for defamation of character. The ad which runs continuously here in Florida is sickening." "If Dr Fauci has to keep saying this, indeed if people don’t know this before he says it, the problem is bigger than you can imagine," wrote another user. 

Yet another social media user chimed in, "He has been silenced by the current administration. I know it is difficult for him to be in the middle and I know he wants to give everyone the facts. I heard he would be let go if he speaks out @JoeBiden @KamalaHarris @ProjectLincoln."

"Dear Dr. Fauci, We admire & respect you. You've been a strong voice during this pandemic & those of us who trust your expertise thank you for fighting for us. However I think time has come for you to stop moderating your words - time to stop being so polite. PLS Call him a LIAR!" shared another outraged social media user who echoed the same sentiments.