Trump slammed as White House shuns Anthony Fauci, Internet says it's sad expert is part of '#CoronaDon' legacy
As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise in the United States, President Donald Trump's administration made a move to disassociate itself from Dr Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious diseases expert. The White House prepared a list of comments made by Dr Fauci about the virus to ascertain the number of times he made wrong remarks. The list includes remarks made in January, claiming the virus was not a significant threat to the US people and was not driven by asymptomatic carriers, as well as an observation made in March, which suggested there was no need for face coverings.
Fauci had explained that he did not suggest masks early in the outbreak because he wanted to reserve them for frontline health workers who needed them most amid a severe shortage of PPE kits and masks in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Further, scientists agree that for a brand new virus, it is reasonable that their knowledge could change based on additional information and experience with time, and so do the corresponding recommendations.
At the time of writing, there were 3,361,042 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the United States, with over 135,500 confirmed deaths, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads in terms of the number of infections and the number of deaths as the Trump administration looked to "reopen" the economy.
Many took to social media to express their support for Fauci while slamming Trump. One user tweeted, "#IStandWithFauci because he's a f***ing scientist and trained in this. If you believe #CoronaDon over the scientists, you are the problem." Another noted, "We hate Trump like they hated President Obama. However, we hate Trump because he is a racist, misogynist, rapist, pedophile, liar, malignant narcissist, lifetime criminal, damn traitor, corrupt s**tweasel, mass murderer, and #CoronaDon."
Virologist Dr Angela Rasmussen from Columbia University tweeted, "Dr Fauci brings deep institutional knowledge along with 4 decades of wisdom and experience responding to emerging viruses and multiple pandemics. We need his leadership as we continue to struggle with this pandemic. Like Dr. Bhadelia, #IStandWithFauci," in agreement with a colleague. Another wrote, "Trump suggested Americans could inject disinfectant into our lungs to cure the coronavirus. Yet he wants to question the reputability of scientists like Dr. Fauci? @realDonaldTrump’s dismal & deadly record on #Covid_19 speaks for itself! #IStandWithFauci."
A user wrote, "Trump is still ignoring the pandemic. Fauci has served in American public health for over 50 years and has been an advisor to every U.S. president since Ronald Reagan. It’s sad that Trump is a part of his legacy. #IStandWithFauci and we listen to him. Science over Stupid!" Another opined, "#IStandWithFauci because he literally warned us about all of this. He told us how to prevent the spread of #Covid_19, and @realDonaldTrump willfully refused to listen. That’s why he’s #CoronaDon."
Meanwhile, former vice president Joe Biden’s campaign has issued a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s efforts to discredit Dr Fauci. The president's attempt to pass the buck by blaming the top infectious disease expert in the country — whose advice he repeatedly ignored and Biden consistently implored him to take — is yet another horrible and revealing failure of leadership as the tragic death toll continues to needlessly grow," Andrew Bates, Biden campaign spokesman said in a statement to ABC News.