The Associated Press
Staff
WASHINGTON –
A day after claiming the American people were fed up with listening to Dr.Anthony Fauci, US President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that he was getting along with the nation’s top infectious disease specialist while hanging out complaining that the doctor who sometimes clashed with him over the coronavirus was not a « team player »
Trump’s strained relationship with Fauci has political overtones as the president defends his coronavirus record just two weeks before Election Day Polls show him behind Democrat Joe Biden in major battlefield states, but Trump says he is confident in victory
« He’s a nice guy, » Trump said of Fauci in a phone interview with the White House’s « Fox & Friends » before an evening rally in Erie, Pa.
« The only thing I’m saying is he’s not a bit of a team player sometimes, » Trump said, denying the two were « at odds »
Trump ended a western swing on Monday night facing intense pressure to reverse his campaign and hope for the type of last-minute push that gave him a victory from behind four years ago But his inconsistent message, another rise in coronavirus cases and his attacks on experts like Fauci could jeopardize his latest efforts to lure voters away from his most loyal base
« I’m not scared, » Trump told reporters on the trip. « I’m angry I’m running happy and I’m very happy because I did a great job »
Trump’s aggressive trip comes as he plays defense in states he won four years ago, though the Republican president has insisted he is confident as he executes a busy agenda despite the pandemic
Seeking to shore up staff morale amid growing concerns in the private sector that there is not enough time to catch up, Trump has called his government’s own scientific experts too negative, even as his handling of the pandemic, which killed more than 220,000 people in the United States, remains a central issue for voters
« People are tired of hearing Fauci and all those idiots, » Trump said of the government’s leading infectious disease expert « Every time he is on TV there is always a bomb But there is a bigger bomb if you fire him But Fauci is a disaster »
At a rally in Prescott, Ariz., Trump assaulted Biden for pledging to heed scientific expert advice, contemptuously claiming his rival « wanted to listen to Dr Fauci »
During his rally, Trump also stepped up his attacks on the news media, singling out NBC’s Kristen Welker as the moderator of the upcoming presidential debate. He continued to denigrate her on Tuesday, saying she couldn’t be neutral
Biden was out of the election campaign Monday, but his campaign praised Fauci and criticized Trump for his « reckless and negligent leadership » which « threatens to put more lives at risk »
“Trump’s closing message in the final days of the 2020 race is to publicly mock Joe Biden for his confidence in science and call on Dr. Fauci, the senior public health official on COVID-19, a « disaster » and other « dumb » public health officials, the campaign said
Monday’s declared confidence in victory contrasted with some of Trump’s other public comments in recent days reflecting the prospect he could lose
« Can you imagine if I lose my whole life? » What am I going to do? he asked a rally crowd last week in Macon, Georgia « I’m not going to feel so good Maybe I’ll have to leave the country I don’t know »
Biden, meanwhile, was in Delaware for several days of preparation before Thursday’s last presidential debate His running mate, California Sen Kamala Harris, returned to the election trail after days in Washington after a close adviser tested positive. for the coronavirus
Late Monday, the Non-partisan Committee on Presidential Debates announced that Trump and Biden will each have their microphones muted in Thursday’s debate as their rival delivers their opening two-minute response to each of the debate’s six topics.
The rule changes come three weeks after a chaotic opening confrontation between the two presidential candidates that included frequent interruptions – most often from Trump The open discussion portion of the debate will not have a mute button, but interruptions from either candidate will count towards their time
« Look, these people are not good people – this commission, » said Trump « A lot of fun things going on with them Kristen Welker is terrible I mean she’s totally partisan »
The commission faced pressure from the Trump campaign to avoid changing the rules, while Biden’s team hoped for a more orderly debate In a statement, the committee said it « had determined that it was appropriate to adopt measures to promote compliance with the agreed rules and that it was inappropriate to make changes to those rules. »
Trump’s campaign said he would participate in debate despite concerns over new rule
« I just think it’s very unfair, » Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One upon his return from Arizona « I’m going to participate, but it’s very unfair that they changed the subject and it’s very unfair that, once again, we have a totally biased anchor »
In addition to public polls that indicate Biden has an advantage, the former vice president has another huge advantage: money
In the past four months, Biden has raised over $ 1 billion, a huge sum that has dramatically eclipsed Trump’s once-overwhelming cash advantage.
This became evident in the ad, where Biden and his Democratic allies are set to spend twice as much as Trump and the Republicans in the final days of the race, according to data from advertising tracking firm Kantar / CMAG.
« We have more than enough air coverage, almost three times more than in 2016, » said Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien, who insisted Trump has the advantage with front-line staff. campaign and data targeting
Although Trump has withdrawn from the advertising in the Midwestern states that ensured his victory in 2016, he has invested heavily elsewhere, including North Carolina, where he is on track to spend slightly more than Biden.
Concerns over a possible loss of Biden that have come to light in recent days have penetrated behind the scenes of the Trump campaign Trump himself has alternated between disbelief and anger that he could lose to a candidate whom he considers misguided and incompetent, according to three campaign and White House officials not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations
Miller reported from Washington Associated Press editors Will Weissert in Wilmington, Delaware, Jonathan Lemire in New York, and Brian Slodysko in Washington contributed to this report
In this April 22, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump watches as Dr.Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, talks about the coronavirus in the James Brady press room at the Maison Blanche in Washington (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)
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Anthony Fauci
World News – CA – Trump says Fauci is a ‘great guy’ but not a ‘team player’
