Trump Suggests He Will Try to Fire Dr. Fauci After Election Despite Ongoing Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in the U.S., Trump is again publicly attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Instead of actually presenting any viable information on how the country might move forward with a science-minded approach in the coming months, the reckless failed steak salesman responded to chants from an equally reckless crowd of Floridian devotees on Sunday with a suggestion that he could fire Fauci after this week's presidential election.

"Don't tell anybody but let me wait until a little bit after the election," Trump said after the rally's "Fire Fauci!" chants fell apart. Trump also told the crowd, presumably none of whom have been doing their part in helping curb the spread, that he appreciated "the advice" of firing Fauci.

"He's been wrong though a lot," Trump, who's made a litany of baseless claims about the pandemic being under control or nearing the end, said. "He's a nice man though. He's been wrong on a lot."

The CDC's most recent update from Nov. 1 shows more than 9.1 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. There are nearly 230,000 confirmed deaths, though the stats for both are widely believed to be significantly higher due to a number of issues, namely underreporting.

And as for Trump's latest Fauci attack, it's worth noting that Trump doesn't technically have the power to directly fire him, as he's a career civil servant. Fauci, per this explainer from over the summer, could also appeal any attempts from Trump of having his appointees remove him.