With the apex of the global pandemic that's upended daily life in the United States still looming, information about the virus—and the most effective ways to slow its spread—has never been more vital.
For Americans across the country, National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Dr. Anthony Fauci has been the most reliable source of that information.
While Trump bloviates about television ratings and the deep state at daily press briefings regarding the virus, Dr. Fauci counters cuts through the muck and delivers the expertise and advice that led Americans to watch the briefings in the first place.
Given Trump's propensity for lying, however, Fauci's dedication to the truth sometimes contradicts his boss.
For Trump's supporters, any questioning or contradiction of their leader is tantamount to treason—even when it's to convey life saving information. As a result, hundreds of Trump's supporters claim that Fauci is a Democratic plant whose mission is to humiliate Trump.
To add to fuel to the fire, Trump's response to the virus and the press briefings regarding it have been widely panned, while Fauci's emergence as one of the most authoritative voices on the virus has been constantly lauded.
Never one to give up the spotlight, the President soon retweeted a call to fire Fauci.
Trump was responding to Fauci's admission that fewer people would have succumbed to the virus had Trump acted sooner.
The President touted travel restrictions—which he falsely called a ban—he imposed on China as evidence of a rapid response. This is despite the virus already being in the U.S. at the time of the ban and despite most of the infections in New York City—the U.S. epicenter of the virus—originating in Europe, not China.
What's more, hundreds of thousands of people have traveled from China to the United States since Trump instituted the so-called ban.
Yet again, Trump was spreading misinformation.
People said it was the President who should be fired, and not the expert with 50 years of experience in fighting infectious diseases.
Before long, the hashtag #FireTrump was trending on Twitter.
The President firing Fauci to appease his vanity would be disastrous.
You have the power to fire Trump this November. Are you registered to vote?
For deeper insight into Trump's presidency from people who saw it firsthand, check out A Very Stable Genius, available here.
@lordye/Bluesky
