Trump Falsely Claims Fauci Predicted Covid Would ‘Go Away Soon’

Topline

During Thursday’s presidential debate, President Donald Trump claimed that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease official, thought the coronavirus would disappear, a misquote of the White House coronavirus advisor as Trump tried to deflect criticism about his own response to the virus.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“Anthony also said … here’s his exact words: ‘ this is no problem. This is gonna go away soon,” Trump said during the debate.

Key Background

Earlier this week, Trump called Fauci a “disaster” during a call with his campaign team, suggesting he would like to fire the doctor. After facing sharp criticism for these remarks, Trump pivoted to highlighting Fauci’s supposed missteps in the pandemic’s early days, an attempt to change the topic as critics excoriate Trump for his response to the coronavirus. In the winter and early spring, Fauci and other experts did offer some advice on virus safety that they later revised or updated, but Fauci never publicly said the virus would disappear.

Tangent

While Fauci did not predict the virus would go away, Trump has repeatedly made that exact prediction. As recently as last month, the president claimed the virus would suddenly disappear, a suggestion rejected by almost all public health experts.